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The Councillors representing even-numbered Districts shall be elected by the voters to four- year terms at the regular municipal election held on October 7, 1975. The Mayor and the Councillors representing odd- numbered Districts shall be elected by the voters to four- year terms at the regular municipal election held on October 4, 1977. Thereafter, regular municipal elections shall be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of odd-numbered years, provided that a regular municipal election day may be set by election resolution on an alternate date when the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November falls on a recognized holiday or a recognized religious holiday or eve.
(Amended at Regular Municipal Election, October 2, 2007. Am. Ord. 2018-034)
(a) The Municipal Election Code, Chapter 3, Articles 8 and 9, NMSA 1978, as amended and as supplemented from time to time, shall govern the conduct of all aspects of municipal elections, except where inconsistent with the terms of this Charter, in which event this Charter shall control.
(b) Any ordinance adopted subsequent to the effective date of this Section by a majority of the entire membership of the Council plus two additional members thereof voting in favor of such ordinance, and said ordinance being otherwise governed by Article XI of this Charter, which ordinance expressly provides that it is to take precedence over the Municipal Election Code, shall take precedence over such Code except where such ordinance is inconsistent with the terms of this Charter, in which event this Charter shall control.
Persons desiring to become candidates for Mayor shall, before being placed on the ballot, file with the City Clerk a petition containing signatures of three thousand (3,000) registered city voters. Persons desiring to become candidates for District Councillor shall, before being placed on the ballot, file with the City Clerk a petition containing signatures of five hundred (500) registered voters residing in the district which the person desires to represent.
(Amended at a Special Election held in conjunction with a Regular Municipal Election, October 5, 1999, as Question #3. Amended at a Regular Municipal Election, October 6, 2009.)
The ballots shall be printed by the city and shall contain the names of the candidates without party or other designation. In city elections, paper ballots may be used exclusively if found more expedient or desir- able. Where voting machines are used, any references to ballots will apply equally to voting machines.
The term “elector” or “voter” when used in this Charter means a person who is a resident of the city and who is entitled to vote for candidates for municipal office in a municipal election under the Constitution and statutes of New Mexico as amended and supple- mented from time to time and who is registered pursuant to the applicable statutes of New Mexico as amended and supplemented from time to time or who is registered pursuant to any ordinance of the Council which expressly provides that it is to take precedence over such statutes and which is enacted after the effective date of this Section.
Those persons who are candidates for Mayor or Councillor and receive the largest number of votes cast for the office in question are elected, provided the number of votes equals or exceeds 50% of the total number of votes cast for the office.
(Amended at a Special Municipal Election, March 11, 2013.)
(a) If no candidate receives 50% of the votes cast for the particular office in question, a runoff election shall be held within forty-five days after certification of the results of the election in question as now provided by law and as amended and supplemented from time to time. Unless otherwise specified in this Charter, the two candidates who receive the highest number of votes cast for the office in question shall automatically become the candidates at the runoff election and the filing of declarations of candidacy is dispensed with.
(b) The Council shall by resolution fix the date of the runoff election and specify the offices to be filled and the names of the candidates therefor. The resolution shall be published once, at least seven days before the runoff election date. Otherwise, no publications are required in connection with runoff elections.
(c) Only such voting precincts and procedures will be reactivated for a runoff as will be required, on a city-wide basis if officials to be voted on by the entire city electorate are involved, otherwise only such District Councillor districts as may be involved.
(Amended at a Special Municipal Election, March 11, 2013.)
(Article II amended at Regular Municipal Election, October 3, 1989, as part of Proposition #1.) (The State Constitution was amended to allow the runoff procedure and the 40% minimum vote requirement.)
(a) Any elective officer of the city shall be subject to a recall election initiated by the following procedures:
(1) Notice of intent to circulate a petition for recall must be signed by five qualified voters and filed with the City Clerk.
(2) A petition for recall election shall cite grounds of misconduct in office or the violation of the oath of office by the official occurring during the current term of office.
(3) The recall petition shall be signed by not less than thirty-three and one third percent of the number of persons who voted in the last regular municipal election for the position the official was elected.
(4) Prior to and as a condition of circulating a petition for recall the factual allegations supporting the grounds of misconduct in office or violation of the oath of office stated in the petition shall be presented to the City Clerk. The petition shall not be circulated unless, after a hearing in state district court in which the proponents of the recall and the official sought to be recalled are given an opportunity to present evidence.
(5) The signed petitions must be filed with the City Clerk no more than 60 days after the determination of the district court. The City Clerk shall verify the signatures.
(6) No elected official shall be the subject of a recall election during the last six months of the official's term.
(b) The election must be held within ninety days after the last permissible date for filing petitions.
(c) At such election, the ballot shall contain the name of the officer, the position which the officer holds, and the dates of the beginning and termination of the official term. Below the name of the officer shall be the two phrases "For the Recall" and "Against the Recall", one below the other.
(d) If a majority of the ballots and a number equal to a majority of the ballots cast at the election of the officer whose recall is proposed, show a vote for the recall, the office in question shall be thenceforth vacant.
(e) If an officer is recalled as provided for above, the officer shall not be appointed to fill his or her own unexpired term nor be eligible for re-election to the position from which they have been recalled until the term for which the officer was originally elected shall have expired.
(f) Vacancies created by a recall election shall be filled in the same manner as is provided for the filling of vacancies in the office of Councillor or Mayor due to other causes; provided, that if all the Councillors are recalled at one election, the City Clerk, or if there be no City Clerk, the Chief Judge of the District Court of the County of Bernalillo, shall within three days call an election to be held in accordance with the provisions specified in this Charter for the election of Councillors at regular elections.
(g) When a Councillor is subjected to recall proceedings, only voters registered as residing in the District which the Councillor represents may sign petitions and vote in the recall proceedings.
(Amended at Regular Municipal Election, October 2, 2007.)
(a) Except as provided in (d) of this Section, any ordinance may be subject to a referendum on such ordinance as follows:
1. If such ordinance is not an emergency measure, the filing of such petition shall suspend the effective date of the ordinance until an election shall have been held as petitioned. If such ordinance is an emergency measure, it shall go into effect at once, subject to repeal by an adverse majority at the election.
2. The number of qualified voters required to sign the petition shall be a number more than 20% of the average number of voters who voted at the four regular municipal elections prior to publication of the ordinance or more than 20% of the number of voters who voted at the regular municipal election prior to publication of the ordinance, whichever is the greater.
3. Before any signatures are affixed thereon, the form of such petition must be approved by the City Clerk as provided by law.
4. No such petition or any part thereof, may be filed more than thirty-five days after publication of the ordinance.
5. An election on the issue must be held within ninety days after the date of filing the petition.
(b) At such election the ballot shall contain the text of the measure in question and below the same the phrases: "For the Above Measure" and "Against the Above Measure" followed by spaces for marking with a cross or a check the phrase desired.
(c) If a majority of the votes cast are against the measure, it shall be of no effect. If a majority of the votes cast be not against the measure, it shall go into effect forthwith.
(d) The referendum procedure of this Section shall not be available for:
1. Any ordinance authorizing bonds or other obligations where such ordinance, bonds or other obligations appropriately have been approved at an election in the city;
2. Any ordinance levying or otherwise relating to special assessments; or
3. Any ordinance which imposes, levies, increases or otherwise amends rates, tolls, fees and charges for services rendered by any municipal utility or any municipal revenue producing project if bonds or other obligations payable from the designated source are then outstanding.
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