The regular general city election shall be held on the first
Tuesday following the first Monday in November in each odd-numbered
year. A preliminary election for the purpose of nominating candidates
for mayor shall be held on the third Tuesday in September in each
odd-numbered year in which a mayor is to be elected; provided, however,
that the city clerk may, with the approval of the city council, reschedule
the preliminary election to the fourth Tuesday in September to avoid
a conflict with any civil or religious holiday. If a special election
to fill a vacancy in the office of mayor is to be held, a preliminary
election shall be conducted, if necessary, 28 days before the date
established for the special election.
All elections for city offices shall be nonpartisan and election
ballots shall be printed without any party mark, emblem or other designation.
(a)
Ballot Position. The order in which names of candidates appear on
the ballot shall be determined by a drawing by lot conducted by the
city clerk and shall be open to the public.
(b)
Determination of Candidates. The 2 persons receiving the highest
number of votes for nomination for mayor at a preliminary election
shall be the sole candidates for that office whose names shall be
printed on the official ballots to be used at the regular general
city election at which the office is to be voted upon and no acceptance
of a nomination shall be necessary to its validity. If the preliminary
election results in a tie vote among candidates for nomination receiving
the lowest number of votes which, but for the tie vote, would entitle
a person receiving the same to have the person's name printed
on the official ballots for the election, all candidates participating
in the tie vote shall have their names printed on the official ballots
even though the ballots will have a number of candidates exceeding
twice the number to be elected.
(c)
Condition Making Preliminary Unnecessary. If at the expiration of
time for filing statements the number of candidates for mayor to be
voted upon at any preliminary election is not more than 2, then no
preliminary election shall be held. The candidates whose statements
have been filed with the city clerk shall have been nominated to the
office, their names shall be voted upon for the office at the succeeding
general election and the city clerk shall not print their names on
the ballots to be used at the preliminary election.
The order in which names of candidates appear on the ballot
for each office shall be determined by a drawing by lot conducted
by the city clerk. The drawing shall be open to the public and conducted
not less than 30 days before the date of the election.
The territory of the city shall be divided into 7 wards so established
as to consist of as nearly an equal number of inhabitants as is possible
to achieve based on compact and contiguous territory, bounded as far
as possible by the center line of known streets or ways or by other
well-defined limits. Each ward shall be composed of voting precincts
established in accordance with the General Laws. The city council
shall from time to time but not less than once every 10 years, review
the wards to ensure their uniformity in number of inhabitants; provided,
however, that the council shall review the wards at least once every
10 years.
Except as otherwise expressly provided in this charter and authorized
by law, all city 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 preliminary, 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.
