A preliminary election to nominate candidates for mayor, councilor-at-large,
ward city councilor, school committee members and city clerk shall
be held on the third Tuesday in September in each odd-numbered year
in which the candidates are to be elected, but 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. Whenever a special election to fill
a vacancy is to be held, a preliminary election shall be conducted,
if necessary, 28 days before the date established for the special
election; provided, however, that a preliminary election to fill a
vacancy for ward councilor shall be held only in the affected ward.
(a)
Signature Requirements - The number of signatures of voters required
to place the name of a candidate on the official ballot to be used
at a preliminary election shall be as follows: for the office of mayor,
not less than 300 certified signatures; for any other office elected
at large, not less than 150 certified signatures; for the office of
ward city councilor, not less than 50 certified signatures; provided,
however, that the signatures for the office of ward city councilor
shall be from certified voters in the ward for which the councilor
shall be elected. Signatures of voters shall be made on a form prescribed
by the registrars of voters and shall be made available not earlier
than April 2 in each preliminary election year and those forms shall
be submitted to the registrars of voters for certification of the
names on or before the 14th day preceding the date fixed for submission
to the city clerk. The forms shall be submitted to the city clerk
on or before 5:00 in the afternoon on the 45th day prior to the declared
date of the preliminary election. An individual may appear on the
ballot for only one office at any preliminary, regular or special
city election.
(b)
Ballot Position - The order in which names of candidates for each
office appear on the ballot shall be determined by a drawing, by lot,
conducted by the city clerk at least 40 days before the preliminary
election. The drawing shall be open to the public.
(c)
Determination of Candidates - The two people who receive the highest number of votes for nomination for an office at the preliminary election shall, except as provided by subsection (d), be the sole candidates for that office whose names shall be printed on the official ballot to be used at the regular or special city election at which the office is to be voted upon and no acceptance of a nomination shall be necessary to its validity. If two or more persons are to be elected to the same office at the regular or special city election, the several persons equal in number to twice the number to be elected, receiving at such preliminary election the highest number of votes for nomination for that office shall, except as provided by subsection (d), be the sole candidates for that office whose names shall be printed on the official ballot. If the preliminary election results in a tie vote among candidates for nomination receiving the lowest number of votes which would entitle a person receiving the same to have that person's name printed on the official ballot for the election, all candidates participating in the tie vote shall have their names printed on the official ballots, although in consequence thereof there shall be printed on the ballots the names of candidates exceeding twice the number to be elected.
(d)
Condition Making Preliminary Unnecessary - If at the expiration of
the time for filing statements of candidates to be voted for at any
preliminary election, not more than twice as many such statements
have been filed with the city clerk for an office as are to be elected
to such office, the candidates whose statements have thus been filed
shall be deemed to have been nominated to the office and those candidates
shall be voted on for such office at the succeeding regular or special
city election and the city clerk shall not print those names on the
ballot to be used at the preliminary election and no other nomination
to the office shall be made. If in consequence it shall appear that
no names are to be printed upon the official ballot to be used at
a preliminary election in the city, no preliminary election shall
be held.
The regular city election shall be held on the first Tuesday
following the first Monday in November in each odd-numbered year.
The order in which names of candidates for each office appear
on the ballot shall be determined by a drawing, by lot, conducted
by the city clerk not later than seven days after the certification
of the preliminary election results. In the event that there is no
preliminary election in advance of the regular city election, the
drawing shall be conducted on the fourth Tuesday in September prior
to the regular city election. In the event that there is no preliminary
election in advance of a special city election, the drawing shall
be conducted on the sixth Tuesday prior to the special city election.
The drawing shall be open to the public.
All elections for city offices shall be nonpartisan and election
ballots shall be printed without any party mark, emblem or other political
designation.
The territory of the city shall be divided into seven wards
by the city clerk to consist of nearly an equal number of inhabitants
as it 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 under the General Laws. The city council
shall review these wards to ensure uniformity in the number of inhabitants
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 General Laws relating
to the right to vote, the registration of voters, the nomination of
candidates, voting places, the conduct of preliminary, regular and
special city 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.
