[R.O. 2011; Approved by electorate, November 3, 1981; Amendment
approved by electorate, April 7, 1992; Amendment approved by electorate,
August 6, 1996]
(a) Regular Elections. Regular City elections shall
be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in April.
[Amending Ord. 15-257 approved by electorate, April 5, 2016]
(b) Primary Election For Mayor. The City primary election,
if needed, for the office of Mayor shall be held on the first Tuesday
after the first Monday in February.
(c) Special Elections. The council may by resolution
order special elections, fix the time for such elections, and provide
for holding such elections.
(d) Conduct Of Elections. All City elections shall be
governed by the provisions of the charter and applicable state law.
The council by ordinance may further regulate elections, subject to
the provisions of the charter and applicable state law.
[R.O. 2011; Approved by electorate, November 3, 1981; Amendment
approved by electorate, November 7, 1989; Amendment approved by electorate,
August 6, 1996; Amending Ord. 99-2 approved by electorate, April 6,
1999]
(a) Nominations. Nominations of candidates for all elective
offices shall be by petition. Petitions for ward councilmembers shall
be signed by not less than 25 qualified registered voters who are
entitled to vote for the candidate so nominated. Petitions for officials
elected by the entire City shall be signed by not less than 100 qualified
registered voters of the City. No voter shall sign more than one nominating
petition for the same office, and should a voter do so, the voter's
signature shall be void except as to the first filed of the petitions
signed by the voter for the office concerned. The signatures shall
be executed in ink or indelible pencil. Each signer shall indicate
next to the signature the date of signing and the place of the signer's
residence, giving the street and number or other description sufficient
to identify the signer's place of residence. The council by ordinance
shall designate the appropriate form for nominating petitions and
for acceptance of nominations to offices.
(b) Filing And Acceptance. Petitions for nomination
for elective office shall be filed with the City Clerk. The opening
date for filing petitions for nomination for all offices except Mayor
shall be 8:00 a.m. on the 12th Tuesday prior to the regular election,
and the closing date for filing the petition for nomination for all
offices except Mayor shall be 5:00 p.m. on the 11th Tuesday prior
to the regular election. The opening date for filing petitions for
nomination for the office of Mayor shall be 8:00 a.m. on the 12th
Tuesday prior to the primary election date, and the closing date for
filing the petitions for nomination for the office of Mayor shall
be 5:00 p.m. on the 11th Tuesday prior to the primary election date.
(c) Procedure After Filing. Within five days after the
filing of a nominating petition, the election authorities shall notify
the candidate and the person who filed the petition whether or not
it is sufficient. If a petition is found insufficient, the election
authorities shall return it immediately to the person who filed it
with a statement certifying wherein it is found insufficient. Within
the regular time for filing petitions, such a petition may be amended
and filed again as a new petition or a different petition may be filed
for same candidate. The election authorities shall keep on file all
petitions found sufficient at least until the expiration of the term
for which the candidates are nominated in those petitions.
[R.O. 2011; Approved by electorate, November 3, 1981; Amendment
approved by electorate, April 7, 1992]
The names of candidates for elective offices shall be printed
on ballots without party designation. The order upon which the candidates'
names appear on the ballot shall be determined by lottery supervised
by the City Clerk. At least one notice of election shall be published
in a newspaper of general circulation, which notice shall contain
the names of candidates to be elected. The conduct of election within
the City shall conform as close as practicable with the state election
law for non-partisan elections.
[R.O. 2011; Approved by electorate, November 3, 1981; Amendment
approved by electorate, August 6, 1996]
(a) Number Of Votes. Every qualified registered voter
shall be entitled to vote for candidates at-large and to vote for
one candidate for ward councilmember to represent the ward in which
the qualified registered voter resides.
(b) Returns; Canvass. The council shall canvass the
election returns and declare the results of any municipal election,
regular, primary, or special, at the first regular meeting to be held
following certification of the election results by the election authority
which meeting shall be open to the public and to which all candidates
have been invited. The names of the two candidates receiving the highest
number of votes in the mayoral primary election shall be placed on
the ballot for the regular election. The candidate receiving the highest
number of votes for each office at the regular election shall be declared
elected and inducted into office at a meeting to occur not later than
two (2) weeks following certification of the election results by the
election authority.
[Amending Ord. 15-257 approved by electorate, April 5, 2016]
(c) Tie Vote. If at any regular municipal election there
shall be no choice between candidates by reason of two or more having
received an equal number of votes, the council shall proceed to determine
the election by lot between the candidates receiving the most votes
at the meeting at which the canvassing of the election occurs. If
at any mayoral primary election there can be no determination of the
two candidates receiving the most votes by reason of two or more having
received an equal number of votes, then the two candidates whose names
shall appear on the ballot at the regular election shall be determined
by lot at the meeting at which the canvassing of the election occurs.
If the tie occurs between those receiving the highest number of votes,
the names of those candidates shall appear on the ballot. If the tie
occurs between those receiving the second highest number of votes,
then the names of all those receiving the second highest number of
votes shall appear on the ballot at the regular election, in addition
to the candidate in the mayoral primary who received the highest number
of votes.