The officers of election, with the consent of the chief law-enforcement officer for the county or city, may designate a law-enforcement officer who shall attend at the polling place and preserve order inside and outside the polling place. If no law-enforcement officer is in attendance, the officers of election may appoint, in writing, one or more persons specially, who shall have all the powers of a law-enforcement officer in the polling place and within the prohibited area prescribed by § 24.2-604.

Code 1950, § 24-189; 1970, c. 462, § 24.1-103; 1993, c. 641.