(A) (1) Any registered voter who was not a candidate in the primary election may have his or her name placed on the general election ballot for a partisan office by filing petitions as prescribed in this section and Neb. RS 32-621 or by nomination by political party convention or committee.
(2) Any candidate who was defeated in the primary election and any registered voter who was not a candidate in the primary election may have his or her name placed on the general election ballot if a vacancy exists on the ballot under Neb. RS 32-625(2) and the candidate files for the office by petition as prescribed in this section or files as a write-in candidate as prescribed in Neb. RS 32-615.
(B) Petitions for nomination shall conform to the requirements of Neb. RS 32-628. Petitions shall state the office to be filled and the name and address of the candidate. Petitions for partisan office shall also indicate the party affiliation of the candidate. Petitions shall be signed by registered voters residing in the ward in which the officer is to be elected, if candidates are chosen by ward, or residing in the municipality, if candidates are not chosen by ward, and shall be filed with the filing officer in the same manner as provided for candidate filing forms in Neb. RS 32-607. Petition signers and circulators shall conform to the requirements of Neb. RS 32-629 and 32-630. No petition for nomination shall be filed unless there is attached thereto a receipt showing payment of the filing fee required pursuant to Neb. RS 32-608. The petitions shall be filed by September 1 in the year of the general election.
(C) (1) The number of signatures of registered voters needed to place the name of a candidate upon the nonpartisan ballot for the general election shall be at least 10% of the total number of registered voters voting for Governor or President of the United States at the immediately preceding general election in the ward in which the officer is to be elected or in the municipality, as appropriate.
(2) The number of signatures of registered voters needed to place the name of a candidate upon the partisan ballot for the general election shall be at least 20% of the total vote for Governor or President of the United States at the immediately preceding general election within the municipality, not to exceed 2,000.
(Prior Code, § 1-708) (Ord. 98-6, passed 10-8-1998; Ord. 03-02, passed 6-6-2003)