The regular general town election shall be held on the first
Tuesday following the first Monday in November in each odd-numbered
year.
All elections for town offices shall be non-partisan and election
ballots shall be printed without any party mark, emblem or other designation
whatsoever.
The number of signatures of voters required to place the name
of a candidate on the official ballot to be used at an election shall
be as follows: for councillor-at-large, school committee member, or
Stetson Fund trustee, 50 signatures, not more than 25 of which shall
be from any 1 district; for the office of district councillor, 50
signatures from the district from which the nomination is sought.
The territory of the town shall be divided into 4 districts
so established as to consist of as nearly an equal number of inhabitants
as it is possible to achieve based on compact and contiguous territory,
bounded insofar as possible by the center line of known streets or
ways or by other well-defined limits. Each such district shall be
composed of voting precincts established in accordance with the General
Laws. The town council shall, from time to time, but at least once
in each 10 years, review such districts.
Except as expressly provided in this charter and authorized
by general law, all town elections shall be governed by the laws of
the commonwealth relating to the right to vote, the registration of
voters, the nomination of candidates, the conduct of general and special
elections, the submission of charters, charter amendments and other
propositions to the voters, the counting of votes, the recounting
of votes and the determination of results.
The town council or the school committee shall hold a public
hearing and act with respect to every petition which is addressed
to it, which is signed by 150 voters, or more, and which seeks the
passage of a measure. The hearing shall be held by the town council
or the school committee, or, in either case, by a committee or subcommittee
thereof and the action by the town council or the school committee
shall be taken not later than 3 months after the petition is filed
with the clerk of the council or the administrative assistant to the
superintendent, as may be appropriate. Hearings on 2 or more petitions
filed under this section may be held at the same time and place. The
clerk of the council or the administrative assistant to the superintendent
shall mail notice of the hearing to the 10 persons whose names appear
first on the petition at least 48 hours before the hearing. Notice,
by publication of all such hearings, shall be at public expense.
None of the following shall be subject to the initiative or
the referendum procedures: (1) proceedings relating to the internal
organization or operation of the town council or of the school committee;
(2) an emergency measure adopted in conformity with the charter; (3)
the town budget or the school committee budget as a whole; (4) revenue
loan orders; (5) any appropriation for the payment of the town's
debt or debt service; (6) an appropriation of funds to implement a
collective bargaining agreement; (7) proceedings relating to the election,
appointment, removal, discharge, employment, promotion, transfer,
demotion or other personnel action of municipal employees; (8) any
proceedings repealing or rescinding a measure or part thereof which
is already undergoing challenge by referendum procedures; and (9)
any proceedings providing for the submission or referral of any measure
to the voters at an election.
The town council may, on its own motion and shall, at the request
of the school committee if a measure originates with that body and
pertains to affairs under its jurisdiction, submit to the voters at
any regular town election for adoption or rejection any measure in
the same manner and with the same force and effect as is hereby provided
for submission by petitions of voters.
If 2 or more measures passed at the same election contain conflicting
provisions, only the 1 receiving the greatest number of affirmative
votes shall take effect.