a.
Date
of elections. The regular City election shall be held on the 1st Tuesday
after the 1st Monday in November each year.
b.
Officers
to be elected. The qualified voters of the City of Belfast shall cast
their ballots at the regular City election for the following municipal
officers: Mayor; City Councilors; Board of Directors, MSAD #34; Wardens;
and Ward Clerks.
c.
Determination
of election results. All the votes cast for the several officers shall
be sorted, counted, declared and registered in open ward meeting,
by causing the names of the persons voted for and the number of votes
given for each to be written on the ward record at length. The ward
clerk shall forthwith deliver to the persons elected warden and ward
clerk certification of their election, and shall forthwith deliver
to the City Clerk a certified copy of the record of such election.
a.
Eligibility,
tenure and qualifications. The wardens and ward clerks as provided
in the preceding section shall be residents of the wards for which
they are elected, and shall hold their offices for a term of two years
from the first Monday following the regular City election, and until
others have been chosen and qualified in their stead.
b.
Oath
of office. The warden and ward clerk shall be sworn to the faithful
performance of their duties by the person presiding in the ward meeting,
or by the clerk thereof, or by a dedimus justice, and a certificate
of such oath shall be entered by the clerk in the City records.
c.
Powers,
duties and vacancies. The warden shall preside at all ward meetings
with the powers of the moderators of town meetings, and if at any
meeting the warden shall not be present, the clerk of the ward shall
call the meeting to order and preside until a warden pro tempore shall
be chosen and qualified. The clerk shall record all proceedings and
certify the votes given, and deliver over to the successor in office
all such records and journals together with all documents and papers
held by the clerk.
d.
Ward
meetings. All ward meetings shall be notified and called by the City
Council in the manner provided in the laws of the State for notifying
and calling town meetings by the select persons of the several towns.
a.
Nominations
of candidates. The nomination of all candidates for elective office
provided for by this Charter shall be by petitions.
b.
Office
of Mayor; number of signatures required. The petition of candidates
for Mayor shall be signed by not less than 75 nor more than 125 qualified
voters of the City.
c.
Other
elective offices; number of signatures required. The petitions of
candidates for Councilors, Board of Directors, School Administrative
District, wardens and ward clerks shall be signed by not less than
25 nor more than 100 qualified voters of the City.
The signatures to the nomination petition need not all be appended
to one paper, but to each separate paper there shall be attached an
affidavit of the circulator, stating the number of signers of such
paper and that each signature on it was made in the circulator's
presence and is the genuine signature of the person whose name it
purports to be. Each signer shall indicate, next to this signature,
the street and the number of their place of residence. All signatures
shall be executed in ink or indelible pencil.
The names of candidates nominated for office as provided for
in this Charter shall be arranged on the ballot by lot. The City Clerk
shall designate a date, time and place for the drawing of lots for
each office to be filled. Each candidate for office or a representative
shall be notified in writing of the drawing and be entitled to be
present.
The City Council shall provide for voting machines or other
devices for voting or counting votes, and voting places.
The provisions of Title 30-A M.R.S.A. § 2553 and Title
21-A M.R.S.A. § 351, as amended, relative to the management
of elections, insofar as they may be applicable, shall govern all
municipal elections, except as otherwise provided in this Charter.
