The city council shall make all regulations that it considers
needful or desirable, not inconsistent with the laws of the state,
for the conduct of municipal elections, for the prevention of fraud
in such elections and for the recount of ballots in case of doubt
or fraud. Municipal elections shall be conducted by the regular election
authorities, who shall also have power to make such regulations not
inconsistent with any regulations made by the council or the laws
of the state.
(2005 Code, sec. 2.7.1)
Any qualified elector of the city desiring to have his or her
name placed upon the official ballot for any election to the office
of mayor or alderman may do so by presenting a written request for
that purpose, signed by himself or herself, and filing the same with
the city secretary in a timely manner as prescribed by state law.
(2005 Code, sec. 2.7.2)
The full names of all candidates for mayor or alderman, determined
as hereinbefore provided, except such as may be withdrawn, died or
become ineligible, shall be printed on the official ballots without
party designations. If there are two candidates with the same surnames
or with names so similar as to be likely to cause confusion, the address
of their places of residence shall be placed with their names on the
ballot. The order of the names on the ballot shall be determined by
lot.
(2005 Code, sec. 2.7.3)
The mayor shall be elected to office from the city at large.
The other members of the city council shall be elected to office at
large, but by specific place, which shall be designated as alderman,
place 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. The mayor and aldermen places 1 and 2 shall
be elected in even-numbered years, and aldermen places 3, 4 and 5
shall be elected in odd-numbered years.
(2005 Code, sec. 2.7.4)
In elections of the mayor and aldermen, the candidate receiving
a majority of all votes cast for the office shall be elected. If no
candidate in such an election receives a majority, the mayor shall,
on the first day following the official count, call for a second election
to be held as provided by law. The two (2) candidates receiving the
highest number of votes shall have their names placed on the ballot
to be prepared by the city secretary, in the order of their standing
in the computation of votes. In the event of a tie between two candidates,
they shall cast lots to determine their places on the ballot. In the
event of a tie in a runoff election, the runoff candidates shall cast
lots to determine the winner.
(2005 Code, sec. 2.7.5)
All city elections shall be governed by the laws of the state
governing general and municipal elections, so far as same may be applicable
thereto; and in the event there should be any failure of the general
laws to provide for some feature of the city election, then the city
council shall have power to provide for such deficiency, and no informalities
in conducting a city election shall invalidate the same, if it be
conducted fairly and in substantial compliance with the general laws
of the state and ordinances of the city.
(2005 Code, sec. 2.7.6)
The election officers shall make returns of the elections, general
and special, to the city council in accordance with state law and
the council shall canvass and declare the results of such election.
(2005 Code, sec. 2.7.7)
