ARTICLE VII
NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
SECTION 7.01 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.
   The regular Municipal elections shall be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in the odd numbered years. The Council may, by resolution, order a special election at any time, the purpose of which shall be set forth in the resolution.
SECTION 7.02 CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS.
   Both regular and special Municipal elections shall be conducted by the Board of Elections of Franklin County under the provisions of this Charter. Where the Charter is silent, the provisions of the State election shall be followed.
SECTION 7.03 WARDS.
   The area of the City shall be divided into five (5) wards, to be numbered from one to four inclusive. The Council shall divide the City into the five (5) wards by ordinance and in 1992 and every ten (10) years thereafter, Council shall review, and if there is a difference in population between the largest ward and the smallest ward of forty percent (40%) or greater, Council shall redistrict the wards to five (5) wards within twenty percent (20%) of equality as to population.
   Territory annexed to the City may be added to one or more of the five (5) wards by ordinance; in such a manner as to include within each ward a substantially equal number of registered voters. (Amended 11-2-82; 11-7-17)
SECTION 7.04 NOMINATIONS.
   There shall be no primary election for City officers. Nominations for the office of Mayor and Councilman-at-Large shall be made by petitions signed by not less than fifty nor more than one hundred registered voters. Nominations for ward councilmen shall be by petition signed by not less than twenty-five nor more than fifty registered voters, residents of the ward. Candidates for the office of ward councilman shall be residents of the ward they seek to represent at the time of filing their petitions. All petitions shall be on the standard forms for the use of nonpartisan candidates for such offices; group petitions shall not be used. Petitions shall be filed with the Board of Elections at least ninety days before the day of election.
SECTION 7.05 SPONSORS, ACCEPTANCE, VERIFICATION.
   Each candidate shall have a sponsoring committee of five registered voters, whose names and addresses shall appear on each copy of his petition. The signature of the candidate, indicating his acceptance of the nomination and willingness to accept the office, if elected, shall appear on each copy of his petition. The petition may be in a number of parts, but each part shall be verified under oath by the circulator as required by law.
SECTION 7.06 BALLOTS.
   The full names of all candidates nominated shall be printed on the official ballot under the offices for which they have filed, without party designation.
SECTION 7.07 VOTING, ELECTION.
   Each qualified voter shall have one (1) vote for each of the following City offices to be filled at the election: Ward Councilman from the voter's ward, the office of Mayor, and Councilman At-Large. A plurality of the votes cast for each office shall be sufficient to elect.
(Amended 11-2-82)