Who may vote at elections; definitions

Within five days after any drainage district shall have been incorporated, the county clerk shall ascertain the qualified electors of such district, and deliver a certified list of the same to one of the persons appointed as judges of the first election to be held in the district, and at such election only persons who are qualified electors shall be permitted to vote. Any person desirous of voting, whose name does not appear on such list, of qualified electors may proceed to the county clerk and such county clerk may administer oaths and affirm witnesses to determine the right of anyone to vote who may claim that he has been erroneously omitted from such list, and if the county clerk issues a certificate entitling the voter thereof to vote, such certificate shall be accepted by the judges and clerks of election. "Qualified elector" means any qualified elector of the district and any person eighteen (18) years of age or over owning land within the district, although not a resident therein, or owning tangible personal property within the district and having residence within such district. "Owning land within the district" means the record owner of the fee in any real estate in the district or the fee in the surface rights of any real estate in the district, but the owners of an oil and gas lease, mineral rights or interest, easements or mortgages as such shall not be considered landowners, and school districts, cemetery associations and municipal corporations shall not be considered landowners.