Each candidate for the Charter Commission shall be a qualified elector
of the Town qualified to vote upon a proposition to impose a tax or for the
expenditure of money in the Town.
Candidates for the Charter Commission shall be nominated by petition
signed by 70 qualified electors of the Town qualified to vote upon a proposition
to impose a tax or for the expenditure of money. The petition shall be on
a form provided for by the Town Clerk, and the name of the intended nominee
shall be affixed thereto by the Town Clerk. The Seal of the Town shall be
affixed to the front page of said petition.
Every qualified elector signing a nominating petition shall sign his
name and shall indicate thereon his place of residence. A signature shall
not be invalid because of the manner of indicating place of residence if the
identity of the elector reasonably may be determined.
No qualified elector shall sign nominating petitions for a greater number
of candidates than are to be elected, and should he do so, his signature shall
be counted upon the first petitions filed and shall be void on all other petitions.
Each nominating petition shall set forth the name and place of residence
of the candidate thereby nominated, and shall state that the nomination is
for the office of Charter Commissioner and that the petitioners are legally
qualified to vote for such candidate.
Each nominating petition also shall contain a statement to the effect
that it has been circulated in good faith for the sole purpose of endorsing
the person therein named in order to secure his selection as stated in the
petition.
The nominating petition for any one candidate may consist of several
petitions which shall be assembled into one petition before filing with the
Town Clerk and shall be considered as a single petition.
Each nominating petition shall be verified by oath or affirmation of
one or more of the persons circulating the petition, taken and subscribed
before a person qualified to administer an oath, to the effect that the petition
was signed by each of the signers thereof in the handwriting of the signer.
Before a nominating petition may be filed with the Town Clerk, there
shall be filed with the Town Clerk an acceptance of the nomination in writing,
signed by the candidate, which shall certify that the nominee consents to
stand as a candidate and that, if elected, he agrees to take office and serve.
Upon receiving the nominating petition and statement of acceptance of
any candidate, the Town Clerk forthwith shall deliver the petition to the
canvassing authority, which shall certify to the Town Clerk within 14 days
after its receipt the validity of any petition having a sufficient number
of proper signatures.
Nominating petitions may be signed by qualified electors prior to the
filing of a petition for the election of a Charter Commission, and such petitions
may be filed with the Town Clerk whenever the canvassing authority has determined
the sufficiency of a petition for election of a Commission and has filed the
same with the said Clerk for presentation to the Council.
Petitions for the nomination of candidates shall be filed with the Town
Clerk not less than 28 days previous to the date of the election.
The Town Clerk shall certify a list of candidates and shall cause to
be published twice on separate days in one or more newspapers having a general
circulation in the Town the names and addresses of the candidates who have
filed valid nominating petitions and acceptances.
