Signatures to initiative petitions need not
be all on one paper. All such papers pertaining to any one measure
shall be fastened together and shall be filed in the office of the
town clerk as one instrument, with the endorsement thereon of the
names and addresses of the person designated as filing the same. With
each signature to the petition, shall be stated the place of residence
of the signer, giving the street and number, if any.
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Within five days after the filing of said petition
the registrars of voters shall ascertain by what number of voters
the petition is signed, and what percentage that number is of the
total number of voters and shall attach thereto their certificate
showing the result of such examination.
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The town clerk shall forthwith transmit the
said certificate with the said petition to the town council or to
the school committee, according as the petition is addressed and at
the same time shall send a copy of said certificate to the person
designated on the petition as filing the same.
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When such certificate has been so transmitted,
said petition shall be deemed to be valid unless written objections
are made thereto by a voter within forty-eight hours after such certification
by filing such objections with the town council or the school committee,
and a copy thereof with the registrars of voters.
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Within fifteen days after his receipt of the
petition the town solicitor shall advise the town clerk in writing
whether the measure may be proposed by initiative procedures and whether
it may lawfully be passed by the town council or the school committee.
If the opinion of the solicitor is that the measure may not lawfully
be passed in whole or in part he shall state his reason or reasons
therefor in his reply. The town clerk shall forthwith furnish a copy
of the town solicitor's opinion to the person designated on the petition
as filing the same.
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The ballots used when voting upon a proposed
measure under this section, shall state the nature of the measure
in terms sufficient to show the substance thereof.
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The petition described in this section shall be termed a referendum petition and section 8-2(a), shall apply to the procedure in respect thereto, except that the words "measure or part thereof protested against" shall for this purpose be understood or replace "measure" in said section whenever it may occur, and "referendum" shall be understood to replace the word "initiative" in said section.
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