Nominations for elective offices of the Municipality shall be made by petition, signed by registered electors of the Municipality in number not less than prescribed by the general election laws of the State of Ohio. The nomination of each candidate shall be made by separate petition. No primary election shall be held for the selection of candidates for any elective office, except as hereinafter set forth. No party mark or designation shall be used in any Municipal election. The names of all candidates, who have been nominated by petition for Municipal office shall be rotated, in as far as possible, in the manner provided by the election laws of the State of Ohio.
If a citizen who has filed his nomination petition properly for any of the elective offices shall become disqualified for holding office or die between (a) the last day for filing nomination petitions and (b) the day of election, then provision shall be made on the day of election to fill the office for which he was a candidate, so that the electors may vote for a write-in candidate for the office for which he was a candidate; anything otherwise provided herein to the contrary notwithstanding.
All nominating petitions shall be filed with the Board of Elections not later than the deadline established for participation in a primary election by the election laws of the State of Ohio.
If three (3) or more candidates file petitions for an office, other than the office of council at large or the office of member of the Board of Municipal Utilities, a primary election shall be held for that office, in accordance with the laws of the State of Ohio in the year of and preceding the regular election. The names of the two (2) candidates for that office receiving the highest number of votes at the primary election shall appear at the regular Municipal election.
Except as otherwise provided in this Charter, the general laws of Ohio shall govern the nomination and election of elective officers of the Municipality.
(Amended 11-6-73; 5-2-95; 11-6-01; 11-2-04; 8-7-12)