The voters of the city may propose any ordinance and may adopt or reject the same at the polls, such power being known as the initiative. Any initiated ordinance may be submitted to the council by a petition signed by 20% of the registered voters of the city.
The voters shall also have the power of referendum which is the power to approve or reject at the polls any ordinance passed by the council, against which a referendum petition has been filed as herein provided. No ordinance passed by the council, except when otherwise required by general law, shall take effect before 15 days from the date of its final passage and its approval by the mayor where such approval is required. If within 15 days after such final passage and approval a petition protesting against the passage of such ordinance shall be filed with the city clerk and if the petition shall be signed by 20% of the registered voters, the ordinance shall be suspended from taking effect until proceedings are had as herein provided.
All petition papers circulated for the purposes of an initiative or referendum shall be uniform in size and style. Initiative petition papers shall contain the full text of the proposed ordinance. The signatures to initiative or referendum petitions need not all be appended to one paper, but to each separate petition there shall be attached a statement of the circulator thereof as provided by this section. Each signer of any such petition paper shall sign his name in ink or indelible pencil and shall indicate after his name his place of residence by street and number, or other description sufficient to identify the place. There shall appear on each petition paper the names and address of 5 voters, designated as the committee of the petitioners, who shall be regarded as responsible for the circulation and filing of the petition and for its possible withdrawal as hereinafter provided. Attached to each separate petition paper there shall be an affidavit of the circulator thereof that he, and he only, personally circulated the foregoing paper, that all the signatures appended thereto were made in his presence, and that he believes them to be the genuine signatures of the persons whose names they purport to be.
All petition papers comprising an initiative or referendum petition shall be assembled and filed with the city clerk as one instrument. Within 20 days after a petition is filed, the clerk shall determine whether each paper of the petition has a proper statement of the circulator and whether the petition is signed by a sufficient number of qualified voters. After completing his examination of the petition, the clerk shall certify the result thereof to the council at its next regular meeting. If he shall certify that the petition is insufficient he shall set forth in his certificate the particulars in which it is defective and shall at once notify at least 2 members of the committee of the petitioners of his findings.
An initiative or referendum petition may be amended at any time within 10 days after the notification of insufficiency has been served by the city clerk, by filing a supplementary petition upon additional papers signed and filed as provided in case of an original petition. The clerk shall, within 5 days after such an amendment is filed, examine the amended petition and, if the petition be still insufficient, he shall file his certificate to that effect in his office and notify the committee of the petitioners of his findings and no further action shall be had on such insufficient petition. The finding of the insufficiency of a petition shall not prejudice the filing of a new petition for the same purpose.
Upon the filing of a referendum petition with the city clerk, the ordinance shall be suspended until 10 days following a finding by the clerk that the petition is insufficient or, if amended petition be filed, until 5 days thereafter; or, if the petition or amended petition be found to be sufficient, until it be withdrawn by the committee of the petitioners or until repeal of the ordinance by vote of the council or approval or disapproval of the ordinance by the voters.
Upon a finding by the city clerk that any petition or amended petition filed with him in accordance with this article is sufficient, the clerk shall submit the same to the council without delay. An initiative ordinance so submitted shall be deemed to have had first reading and provision shall be made for a public hearing.
If within 60 days of the submission of a certified petition by the city clerk the council shall fail to pass an ordinance requested by an initiative petition in substantially the form requested or to repeal an ordinance as requested by a referendum petition, the clerk shall submit the ordinance to the voters unless, within 10 days after final adverse action by the council or after the expiration of the time allowed for such action, as the case may be, a paper signed by at least 4 of the 5 members of the committee of the petitioners shall be filed with the city clerk requesting that the petition be withdrawn. Upon the filing of such a request, the original petition shall cease to have any force or effect.
Any ordinance to be voted on by the voters in accordance with section 6.2 or section 6.8 of this article shall be submitted at the next general election occurring not less than 60 days after the date of final action by council or the expiration of the time allowed for action by council in section 6.8 of this article, as the case may be, provided that if no election is to be held within 90 days, the council may in its discretion provide for a special election.
Any number of proposed ordinances may be voted upon at the same election in accordance with the provisions of this article, but there shall not be more than one special election in any period of 6 months for such purpose.
Whenever an ordinance is to be submitted to the voters of the city at any election in accordance with this article, the clerk shall cause the ordinance to be published in at least one of the newspapers published or circulated in the city. The publication shall be not more than 20 nor less than 10 days before the submission of the ordinance or proposition to be voted on.
The ballots to be used at such election shall be in substantially the following form:
"To vote upon the public question printed below, if in favor thereof mark a cross (X) or plus (+) or check (✓) in the square at the left of the word Yes, and if opposed thereto mark a cross (X) or plus (+) or a check (✓) in the square to the left of the word No."
Yes
"Shall the ordinance (indicate whether submitted by council or initiative or referendum petition) providing for (here state nature of proposed ordinance or proposition) be adopted?"
No
If a majority of the qualified electors voting on the proposed ordinance shall vote in favor thereof, such ordinance shall thereupon become a valid and binding ordinance of the city and be published as in the case of other ordinances. If the provisions of 2 or more measures approved or adopted at the same election conflict, then the measure receiving the greatest affirmative vote shall control.
Any elective officer shall be subject to removal from office for cause connected with his office, after he has served at least 1 year, upon the filing of a recall petition and the affirmative vote of a majority of those voting on the question of removal at any general or special election.
A recall petition shall demand the removal of a designated incumbent, shall be signed by qualified voters equal in number to at least 25 percent of the registered voters of the city or ward, as the case may be, and shall be filed with the city clerk. It shall set forth a statement of the case upon which the removal is sought.
The signatures to a recall petition need not all be appended to one paper but each signer shall add to his signature his place of residence giving the street and number or other sufficient designation if there shall be no street and number. One of the signers to each such paper shall take an oath before an officer competent to administer oaths that the statement therein made is true as he believes and that each signature to the paper appended is the genuine signature of the person whose name it purports to be. Within 10 days from the date of filing the petition the city clerk shall complete its examination and ascertain whether or not such petition is signed by the requisite number of qualified voters, and shall attach to the petition his certificate showing the result of his examination. If by that certificate the petition is shown to be insufficient it may be amended within 10 days from the date of said certificate. The city clerk shall, within 5 days after such amendment, make a similar examination and determination of the amended petition, and if the certificate shall show the same to be insufficient, it shall be returned to the person filing it without prejudice to the filing of a new petition to the same effect.
If the petition shall be sufficient the city clerk shall within 2 days notify the mayor, councilman or councilmen whose recall is sought thereby. If such notice cannot be served personally upon the mayor, councilman or councilmen affected, service may be made by registered mail addressed to the officer's last known address. If within 5 days after the service of the notice by the clerk the mayor, councilman or councilmen sought to be recalled by such petition do not resign, or a tendered resignation shall not have been accepted by the council, the clerk shall order and fix a date for holding a recall election not less than 60 nor more than 90 days from the filing of the petition. Notice of the filing of the petition and of the date of the election shall be posted for public view in the office of the city clerk and he shall also insert the notice forthwith in a newspaper published in the city, or if there be no such newspaper, then in a newspaper having general circulation in the city.
The ballots at the recall election shall conform to the requirements respecting the election of officers in municipalities, as provided in Title 19 of the Revised Statutes (Elections), except that the words "recall election" shall appear on the ballot. The recall features of the ballot shall appear at the top thereof and shall be separated from the portion of the ballot for the election of officers by a heavy black line. The proposal for recall shall be placed on the ballot in the following manner:
"Shall _______________________________(here insert name of incumbent) be removed from office by recall?"
This matter shall occupy 2 lines in bold-face type. Immediately below the above wording shall appear the phrase "for recall" and immediately underneath such phrase the words "against recall." Immediately at the left of each of these 2 phrases shall be printed a square, in which the voter may make a cross (X) or plus (+) or a check (✓) mark. Immediately below the foregoing shall appear the following:
"Indicate your vote by placing a cross (X) or plus (+) or a check (✓) mark in one of the squares above."
If the removal of more than one officer is sought the same provisions for submitting to the electors the question and direction hereinbefore described shall be repeated in the case of each officer concerned and their position on the ballot for their recall shall be in the order of the filing of the petition with the city clerk.
If an incumbent is recalled, there shall be a vacancy in the office which shall be filled in the same manner as vacancies resulting from other causes; and the elected successor shall serve for the remainder of the unexpired term.
The provisions of Title 19 of the Revised Statutes (Elections), concerning the nomination of municipal officers, preparation of the ballot, election of municipal officers, counting and canvassing of the results of the election of such officers, shall apply to the election for the recall of officers and the election of their successors.
The city clerk shall cause to be made due publication of notices of arrangements for holding all recall elections and they shall be conducted as are other elections for municipal officers in the city.
(a) 
If a majority of votes in connection with the recall of any officer be in favor of the recall, the term of office of such officer shall terminate, upon the certification of the results of election by the city clerk.
(b) 
If the results of such recall election shall, by the certificate of the city clerk, be shown to be against the recall of the officer, he shall continue in office as if no recall election had been held.