(1) In the year 1966 and every second year thereafter, the delegates to the fall county convention of each political party in each county in this state having a population of less than 1,500,000, shall convene at the call of the county chairperson within 20 days following the November election to select a number of persons equal to the number of county offices and state legislative offices for which candidates were nominated at the last 2 preceding fall primary elections, who, together with the persons most recently nominated by the party for each of those offices shall constitute the executive committee of their party for that county. When a new nomination is made for an office, the nominee for which is entitled to serve as a member of the executive committee, the new nominee shall replace the former nominee as a member of the executive committee. If a vacancy occurs in the position of delegate-appointed member of the executive committee, the remaining delegate-appointed members shall fill the vacancy. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the executive committee may appoint the officers it considers proper to carry out the purposes of the committee, and may fill a vacancy in any of its offices.

    (2) Immediately following the selection of members of the executive committee, including the filling of vacancies, the secretary of the county committee shall certify the names and addresses of the persons chosen to the county clerk who immediately shall notify each person chosen.

    (3) Within 30 days following the convening of the fall county convention the executive committee, acting without the officers of the county committee who are not otherwise members of the executive committee, shall meet and select a temporary chairperson and temporary secretary. The temporary officers shall serve only during the selection of the officers of the executive committee who shall also serve as the officers of the county committee for the 2 years commencing on January 1 next. The officers shall be a chairperson, a vice-chairperson who shall be of the opposite sex of the chairperson, a secretary, and a treasurer. Candidates for legislative offices consisting of more than 1 county may give a written proxy to other members of the executive committee.

    (4) After the officers of the county committee have taken office, and within 45 days after January 1 of each odd numbered year, the executive committee shall select a county committee for the party, which committee shall consist of not less than 2 members from each township and 2 members from each ward of each city in the county, or shall consist of at least 2 members from each election precinct in the county, as the executive committee may determine. The committee shall have the right to appoint officers which in its judgment are proper to carry out the purposes of the committee, and shall have power to fill a vacancy which may occur in the membership of the committee or in any of its offices. Between meetings of the county committee the executive committee shall have all of the powers and perform all of the duties of the county committee, including the filling of vacancies in nominations as prescribed by law. The term of service of a county committee shall continue for 2 years and until the selection of its successor.

    (5) A person nominated as a candidate of a political party for county office shall be a delegate at large to the fall county convention held in the year of the candidate’s nomination and to all county conventions held during the term of office for which the candidate was nominated. A person nominated as a candidate of a political party for state legislative office shall be a delegate at large to the fall county convention held in the year of the candidate’s nomination in each county or part of a county contained in the legislative district and to all county conventions held during the term of office for which the candidate was nominated. The number of delegates at large shall be in addition to the number of delegates specified in the call for the fall county convention. If a person is elected both a delegate at large and a delegate of an election district, a vacancy shall exist in the district delegation and shall be filled as provided in section 609.