A municipal election shall be held in the city on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in April, 1925, and on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in April of every second year thereafter, and shall be known as the General Municipal Election. All other municipal elections that may be held shall be known as Special Municipal Elections.
No person shall be permitted to vote at any municipal election without having been registered. The registration shall be the same as is now or may hereafter be provided by the general laws of the state, except as the council may otherwise by ordinance provide.
The judges and clerks of any election shall be selected from a list of persons, one each of whom may be proposed for each election precinct by each candidate. In case there are five candidates or more who present lists at any election, not more than one judge or clerk of election shall be chosen for each precinct from the names proposed by any one candidate. All such lists shall be proposed in writing at least thirty days before election. In case an insufficient number of names are so proposed, the city council may select such number as may be necessary in order to provide three judges and two clerks for each election precinct.
All nominations for elective offices shall be made by petition signed by not less than fifty registered electors of the city, and, except as herein provided, the manner of nominations and acceptances shall be governed by the state laws applicable thereto, unless otherwise provided by ordinance. No petition of nomination, however, shall contain the name of a political party or organization or other like designation.
The City Clerk shall, on the tenth day before every city election, certify a list of the candidates so nominated for office at such election, whose names are entitled to appear on the ballot, as being the list of candidates nominated as required by this Charter, together with the offices to be filled at such election, designating whether such election is for a full or unexpired term; and he shall file in his office said certified list of names and offices so to be filled, and he shall cause to be published in a notice calling such election, for any three successive days during the ten-day period prior to such election, in at least one daily newspaper of general circulation published in the City of Grand Junction, an election notice, which said notice shall contain a list of said names of candidates, the offices to be filled and the time when and the places of holding such election.
The city clerk shall cause ballots for every general and special election to be printed, bound, numbered, endorsed, and authenticated, as provided by the laws of the State of Colorado except as otherwise provided by this Charter. Every ballot intended for the use of voters shall contain the full list and correct name of all the respective offices to be filled and the names of all candidates nominated therefor, whose nominations have been duly made as provided by this Charter and ordinances pursuant thereto, and who have not died or withdrawn, and shall contain no other names of persons. The ballots shall be so printed as to give each voter a clear opportunity to designate by cross mark (x) in a sufficient margin at the right of the name of each candidate, and of each question submitted, his choice of candidates, and his answer to the question submitted; and on the ballot may be printed such words or instructions as will aid the voter to do so.
One space shall be left below the printed names of the candidates for each office to be voted for, wherein the voter may write the name of any person for whom he may wish to vote.
All ballots printed shall be identical, so that without the numerical number thereon it would be impossible to distinguish one ballot from another. Space shall be provided on the ballot for charter amendments or other questions to be voted on at the municipal elections, as provided by this Charter. The names of candidates for each office shall be arranged in alphabetical order of the surnames. Nothing on the ballot shall be indicative of the source of the candidacy, or of the support of any candidate. No ballot shall have printed thereon any party or political designation or mark, and there shall not be appended to the name of any candidate any such party or political designation or mark, or anything indicating his views or opinions.
The city clerk shall, at least five days before the election, cause to be printed not less than five hundred sample ballots, upon paper of different color, but otherwise identical with the ballot, to be used at the election, and shall distribute the same, upon application of the candidates, to the registered voters at his office.
As soon as the polls are closed, the election judges shall immediately open the ballot boxes, take therefrom and count the ballots, and enter the total number thereof on the tally sheet provided therefor. They shall then carefully enter the number of votes for each candidate on said tally sheet and make return to the city clerk as provided by law. No vote shall be counted for any candidate more than once on any ballot. The person receiving the highest number of votes cast at such election for any office shall be elected to that office. A tie between two or more candidates shall be decided by lot, under direction of the canvassing board.
No informalities in conducting municipal elections shall invalidate the same, if they have been conducted fairly and in substantial conformity with the requirement of this Charter.
The provisions of any state law, now or hereafter in force, except as the council may otherwise by ordinance provide, relating to the qualifications and registration of electors, the manner of voting, the duties of election officers, the canvassing of returns, and all other particulars in respect to the management of elections, except as otherwise provided in this article, so far as they may be applicable, shall govern all municipal elections; provided, also, that the council shall meet as a canvassing board and duly canvass the election returns within two days after any municipal election. Whenever any member of the council is a candidate for re-election, the council shall appoint some justice of the peace or notary public of said city to take the place of said candidate upon said canvassing board as a member thereof.