Directors of a rural road improvement district shall be the owners of real property in and residents of the district or, if there are no residents of the district, the owners of real property in the district. At the time of making its order organizing the district, the board of county commissioners shall set a first meeting of property owners of the district and direct the manner of giving notice by publication thereof. The owners of property within the district present at such meeting shall elect nine (9) directors who shall hold their office until the second Saturday in January of each even-numbered year, at which time their successors shall be elected. The property owners present at the first meeting shall adopt the bylaws of the district.

Subsequent elections for directors of the district may be held at a mass meeting or convention of the owners of real property in and residents of the district, or if there are no residents of the district, the owners of real property in the district, who are qualified to vote. The voting shall be by secret ballot. At the first regular election after organization of the district called for the purpose of electing members of the board of directors, the three qualified persons receiving the highest number of votes for member of board of directors of the district shall hold their respective offices for a term of six (6) years. The three qualified persons receiving the next highest number of votes shall be elected for four (4) years, and the three qualified persons having the next highest number of votes shall be elected for two (2) years. Each two (2) years thereafter, there shall be elected for a term of six (6) years three members of the board of directors. Notice of the mass meeting or convention called for the purpose of electing directors of a rural road improvement district shall be given by publishing notice of the meeting stating the time, place and agenda in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which such district is located once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks next preceding the date of the election, and by posting the notice in three public places in the district for at least twenty (20) days prior to the date of the election. The notice shall list the offices to be filled and the questions to be voted on, if any.