Section 1. The mode of nomination of all elective officers provided for herein shall be by petition, and not otherwise, except as provided for in Section 5 of the within Chapter. The name of any elector of the City shall be printed upon the ballot when a petition in the form hereinafter prescribed shall have been filed, in his or her behalf, with the election authorities provided for in the within Charter. Such petition shall be signed by at least twenty qualified electors of the City of Grand Blanc.
Section 2. The signatures to a nominating petition need not all be appended to one paper, but to each separate paper there shall be attached an affidavit of the circulator thereof stating the number of signers to such paper, and that each signature appended thereto was made in his or her presence, and is the genuine signature of the person whose name it purports to be. Each signer of a petition shall sign his or her name in ink or indelible pencil, and shall place on the petition after his or her name their place of residence.
Section 3. The form of the petition papers shall be substantially as follows:
FORM OF PETITION
We, the undersigned, hereby present whose residence is Grand Blanc, for the office of to be voted for at the election to be held in the City on the day of 19 and we individually certify that we are qualified to vote for candidates for the above office and that we have not signed any other petition presenting any other candidate for said office.
Name
Residence
State of Michigan,
County of Genesee, SS.,
being duly sworn, deposes and says that he is an elector of the City of Grand Blanc, and is the circulator of the foregoing petition containing signatures, and that the signatures of the persons whose names they purport to be.
Signed
Subscribed and sworn to before me this day of 19 .
Notary Public.
The petition if found insufficient shall be returned to Grand Blanc, Michigan.
Section 4. All nominating papers comprising a petition shall be assembled and filed with the City Clerk in one instrument not later than 5:00 p.m. on the seventh Monday prior to the date of the odd year general election which shall be held on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November of each odd-numbered year, pursuant to Section 644E of Act No. 239 of the Public Acts of 1970, as amended. (Amended 3-10-1971)
Section 5. A meeting of the City Council shall be held at 7:30 p.m. on the day following the last day on which nominations for the City officers may be filed with the City Clerk, and the Council shall check all such nominations and if the nominees are legal residents of the City and State and citizens of the United States, and are not barred by any provisions of the State laws, the Council shall order their names printed on the official ballots.
Should any questions as to the qualifications of the nominee be raised by any member of the Council or any elector of the City, the Council shall request such nominee to appear before the Council at this meeting, or such time as may be designated by the Council, and answer to the objections made and after the Council shall have heard the evidence it shall appear that the nominee is not eligible to the office for which he or she is nominated, the Council shall declare the nomination void.
(Amended 4-7-1941)
Section 6. All ballots used in election held under the authority of this Charter shall be nonpartisan, and without party mark or designation. Ballots used for election of candidates shall contain a complete list of all the offices to be filled, the number of candidates to be elected to such offices, and the names of the candidates seeking the election therefor, and shall be printed and numbered in accordance with the general laws of the State of Michigan regulating the printing and numbering of ballots at elections in this State.
The candidates except as hereinafter stated, receiving the greatest number of votes for any office in the City shall be deemed to have been duly elected to such office; and if there shall be no choice for any office by reason of two or more candidates having received an equal number of votes the Council shall at the next meeting of said Council determine by lot between such persons, which shall be considered elected to such office; provided however, that in case of the candidates for the Council the three candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall be deemed to have been duly elected; and in case of the candidates for the Board of Review, and Constable, two candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall be deemed to have been duly elected.
Editor’s note:
Ordinance 107, passed March 9, 1977, abolished the office of Constable.
Section 7. If a vacancy occurs in any of the foregoing elective offices the Council shall appoint an eligible person to fill such vacancy until the next regular City election.
Section 8. In all elections in the City of Grand Blanc the election precinct, voting place, methods of conducting the election, canvassing the votes, and announcing the results, shall be the same as provided by the general election law of this State, so far as the same is applicable and not inconsistent with the provisions of this Charter.
Section 9. Special elections may be called by the Council, provided however, that the resolution of the Council calling for any special election shall be passed by the Council at least forty days prior to the date fixed for such special election; provided further that not more than two special elections shall be called and held in any one calendar year, except that a greater number of special elections may be held, if they shall be permitted or required by law.
Section 10. The Clerk shall give notice of every regular or special City election, by causing a copy of the notice of such election to be published in a newspaper, published and circulated in the City, once in every calendar week for at least two successive weeks prior to such election, the first publication of which notice shall be at least twenty days prior to the date of such election; and by posting a copy of said notice in five of the most public and conspicuous places in the City at least twenty days prior to the day of such elections. Each notice shall designate the time and place in each election precinct at which such election shall be held, and shall state fully the purpose or purposes of such election, and shall state any special question or questions to be voted upon at such election in the form prescribed by the Council in the resolutions calling the election. Proof of publication and posting such notices shall be made by proper affidavits filed in the office of the City Clerk.
Section 11. On the day of any election, the polls shall be opened at 7:00 a.m., or as soon thereafter as may be, and shall be kept open until 8:00 p.m., at which hour they shall be closed. The inspectors of election shall cause the proclamation to be made upon opening the polls, and shall cause proclamation to be made of the closing of the polls one hour, thirty minutes and fifteen minutes, respectively, before the closing thereof. No elector shall be entered on the poll lists after the time herein provided for the closing of the polls, regardless of whether or not any such person is at that time within the voting booth.
Section 12. All ballots shall be printed in full compliance with the general election laws of the State and the offices to which candidates are to be elected shall appear in the order set forth in Section 6, Chapter 4 of this Charter.
Section 13. In all matters pertaining to elections in the City, the City shall be governed by the general election law of this State, as the same now or hereafter may exist, and in so far as the same now is or hereafter may be applicable to the City, and any provision herein contained shall only control in so far as they do not contravene the provisions of such general election laws.
Section 14. No informalities in conducting any Municipal election shall invalidate the same, if they have been conducted fairly and in substantial conformity with the requirements of this Charter and the general law of the State.
Section 15. At or before the time limited to take and file his or her oath of office, each of the elective officers shall file with the City Clerk a sworn statement showing the total amount of moneys expended by him, or in his behalf in the matter of his said election; the exact amount of money contributed by him or her toward such expenses and the several amount of moneys contributed by others toward such expenses, together with the names of such other contributors, and a detailed and itemized account of the disbursements of all other moneys. Such elective officer shall also cause a true copy of the above statement to be published in the next succeeding issue of the official newspaper of the City; and shall file an affidavit of such publication in the office of the City Clerk within ten days of such publications. Any elective officer, who fails to comply with all the provisions of this chapter shall thereby forfeit his office unless the time for complying therewith shall be extended by the Council, which extension or extensions shall in no case exceed twenty days.