[1]
Editor's Note: This chapter was superseded by Ord. No. 295, adopted 1-26-1971. See now Ch. 206, Elections.
A regular city election shall be held annually on the date of the biennial spring election established by law. One Councilman shall be elected at each regular city election from each of the four wards of the city. A Mayor shall be elected at each regular city election held in an even numbered year. A Municipal Judge shall be elected at each regular city election held in an odd numbered year preceding the expiration of the term of such office in the same manner as the Mayor is nominated and elected.
Special city elections shall be held when called by resolution of the Council, adopted at least 45 days in advance of such election. If a special election is to be held on the date of any State primary or election, such election shall be called in ample time for the giving of notice to the County Clerk of questions to be voted thereat, as required by law. Any resolution calling a special election shall set forth the purpose of such election. Unless otherwise permitted by law, no more than two special city elections shall be held in any one calendar year.
Until otherwise provided, the boundaries of the four wards of the city shall remain as established on the effective date of this charter. Upon a showing by the Clerk that any ward or wards contain more than 1 1/2 times as many registered electors as any other ward or wards, the Council may redefine the boundaries of the wards of the city, or any of them, so as to more equitably equalize the number of registered electors in the wards. Any such action may be subject to referendum of the electors of the city in accordance with the procedure therefor established by Chapter 5 of this charter.
A regular city primary election shall be held on the date set by law for holding primary elections preceding biennial spring elections.
Each person who has the constitutional qualifications of an elector in the State of Michigan, or who will have such qualifications at the next election held in the city, shall be entitled to register as an elector of the city.
All primary and general city elections for the nomination and election of officers shall be non-partisan. The general election laws of the State shall apply to and control, as nearly as may be, all procedures relating to notices for, to registrations for, and to the conduct of city elections, except as such general laws relate to political parties or partisan procedures, and except as otherwise provided by this charter. The compensation of all election personnel shall be determined by the Council.
The Election Commission shall be comprised of the Clerk, the Assessor, and the City Attorney. The Clerk shall be chairman. The Commission shall have charge of all activities and duties required of it by law relating to the conduct of elections in the city. In the absence of a quorum, the member present may create a quorum as permitted by law. In any case where election procedure is in doubt, the Election Commission shall prescribe the procedure to follow.
A person desiring to qualify as a candidate for any elective office under this charter shall file with the Clerk an official nominating petition therefor. Official blank nominating petitions, in substantially the same form as required by law or by the Secretary of State for nonpartisan judicial officers, shall be prepared and furnished by the Clerk. Such petition shall be signed by not less than 25 nor more than 100 of the registered electors of the city. Such petitions shall be filed with the Clerk not later than 5:00 in the afternoon on the seventh Monday preceding the primary election date. Before the Clerk shall furnish a form of nominating petition to any person, he shall enter thereon with typewriter or in ink the name of the candidate and the name of the office for which he is to be a candidate. No petition which has been altered with respect to such entries shall be received by the Clerk for filing. Nominating petitions for the purpose of filling a vacancy shall so state in connection with the name of the office for which they are to be used. If any person signs his name to a greater number of petitions for any office than there will be persons elected to that office, his signature shall be disregarded on all petitions for that office. In the case of petitions nominating persons for the office of Councilman, no name, other than of a registered elector of the ward in which a person seeks that office, shall be counted on any such petition.
The Clerk shall accept for filing only nominating petitions on official blanks issued by him. Within five days after the filing of a petition, the Clerk shall determine the sufficiency of the number of genuine signatures of registered electors of the city on the petition. If he finds that any petition does not contain the required number of such signatures, he shall immediately notify the candidate, in writing, of the insufficiency of his petition. No additional signatures on any petition shall be received by the Clerk after the final date and time fixed for filing nominating petitions. Each petition which is found by the Clerk to contain the required number of genuine signatures shall be marked "Valid" with the date of such finding.
On or before the third day after the last day for filing nominating petitions, each person for whom a valid nominating petition has been filed, or someone acting on his behalf, shall file with the Clerk an affidavit that he is possessed of all of the qualifications set forth in this charter for an elective city office. Such affidavit shall be on a form provided by the Clerk. If such affidavit be not filed as herein required, the candidate shall be deemed to have withdrawn and his name shall not be placed on any city primary or election ballot.
(a) 
If valid petitions and affidavits have been filed for more than twice the number of candidates for an office than there will be positions filled in that office at the next regular city election, a primary shall be held with respect to that office and the names of all persons who have filed valid nominating petitions for that office shall be placed on the ballot therefor.
(b) 
If valid petitions for no more than twice the number of candidates for an office to be filled at the following regular city election have been filed, then no primary election shall be held with respect to such office, and the names of the candidates for such office shall be placed on the ballot for the regular city election.
(c) 
Candidates, equal in number to twice the number of persons to be elected to each office at the next regular city election, who receive the highest number of votes at any primary election shall be the nominees for election to the respective offices for which they are candidates, and their names shall be placed on the ballots for the regular city election.
The form, printing, and numbering of ballots used in any city election shall conform, as nearly as may be, to that prescribed by law, except that no party designation or emblem shall appear thereon. The names of qualified nominees for each office shall be listed on the ballot under a separate heading for each office and shall be rotated on the ballots as required by law. Absentee ballots for city officers and questions may be facsimiles of the format of the face of the voting machines used by the city.
It shall be the duty of the Chief of Police, under the direction of the Clerk, to take charge of all registration books and supplies and deliver them to the respective Boards of Inspectors of Elections, taking their receipt therefor.
The electors of the city shall be entitled to vote by absentee ballots at any election under the circumstances and in the manner provided by law.
The Election Commission shall constitute the Board of Canvassers to canvass the votes cast at all elections. If any of such persons are candidates for office at an election to be canvassed, such persons shall not be a member of the Board of Canvassers at such election and the Council shall designate a person to act in his stead. A majority of the members of such board shall be a quorum for the transaction of the business of the Board. The Board of Canvassers shall meet at the City Hall at 2:00 in the afternoon on the day following each city primary and election, and publicly canvass the returns of such primary or election, and shall determine the vote upon all questions and propositions, and declare whether the same have been adopted or rejected and which persons have been nominated for or elected to office.
A recount of the votes cast at any city primary or election for any office, or upon any proposition, may be had in accordance with the general election laws of the state.
If, at any city primary or election, the outcome cannot be determined because two or more persons received an equal number of votes, and no recount concerning such votes is or may be pending, the Election Commission shall name a date for the appearance of such persons for the purpose of determining the election of one of them by lot. Should any person fail to appear, in person or by representative, to determine the result of any tie at the time and place named, such determination shall be made by lot in his absence at the direction and under the supervision of the Election Commission. Any determination by lot shall be final.