The seven wards, and the territory in each such ward, under the statutory form of government as they are constituted on the effective date of this Charter shall be the wards for the purpose of electing ward Council members under this Charter; however additional wards may be created and ward boundaries may be re-established as hereinafter provided by this section.
When any territory is annexed or otherwise attached to the City, which territory contains the same or a greater number of registered voters than is contained in any existing ward, that territory shall constitute an additional ward and a member of Council from said ward shall be elected at a special election within the new ward so created not sooner than thirty days nor later than sixty days after the annexation or other attachment of such territory to the City becomes final. The member of Council elected from such newly created ward need only be an elector of the ward in order to qualify for the term of office for which he is elected at such special election, and such member shall hold office until his successor is elected at the next regular municipal election. Candidates at such special election shall be nominated by petitions containing not less than one hundred signatures of electors residing in such newly created ward, and such nominating petitions shall be filed with the Board of Elections of the county within which the City is located or within which the major portion of the population thereof, ascertained by the next preceding Federal census, is located, if the City is situated in more than one county, not later than 4:00 p.m. of the 30th day before the day of such special election. The person receiving the greatest number of votes cast at such special election shall be elected and shall take office five days after his election is certified by the Board of Elections. After the initial special election, members of Council from such newly created wards shall have the qualifications of ward Council members as provided in Sec. 3.02 of this Charter and shall be elected in the manner provided in Article XVIII of this Charter.
When any territory is annexed or otherwise attached to the City, which territory contains fewer registered voters than is contained in any existing contiguous ward or wards, the Council shall cause such territory to be attached to an existing contiguous ward or wards.
After each recurring Federal census and within three months after the issuance of the proclamation by the Secretary of State of the population of the City, the Council shall by ordinance, redivide the City into wards, not exceeding the number provided herein, in order to provide substantially equal population in each of the wards. All wards so established shall be bounded, as far as practical, by county lines, streets, alleys, avenues, public grounds, canals, watercourses, municipal boundary lines, center lines of platted streets or railroads, or lot lines of platted subdivisions. Redivision of the City into wards by the Council shall not terminate or otherwise affect the unexpired terms of ward Council members; however at the next regular municipal election at which ward Council members are to be elected following the redivision of the City into wards, providing such redivision is in full force and effect at least thirty days prior to the date for filing declarations of candidacy by ward Council members, ward Council members shall be elected from the wards as re-established under this section.