(A) Candidates for election to the City Commission shall be nominated by petition. Any qualified elector of the City may be nominated for election by a petition signed by qualified electors of the City not fewer in number than fifty (50) nor more in number than eighty (80). The form, size, and contents of all nominating petitions shall be as provided by the laws of the State. The City Clerk shall provide nominating petitions for all elected offices. An individual may circulate his own petition.
(B) All separate papers comprising the nominating petition shall be assembled and filed with the City Clerk as one instrument within the time limitation set for filing petitions as provided by the laws of the State, except that no nominating petition may be filed sooner than thirty (30) days before the last day set for filing petitions. The City Clerk shall make a record of the exact time when each petition is filed. No nominating petition shall be accepted for filing by the City Clerk unless accompanied by a signed acceptance of the nomination.
(C) Within five (5) days after the filing of the nominating petition, excluding weekends and holidays, the City Clerk shall notify the candidate and the person who filed the petition whether it satisfies the requirements prescribed by this Article. If the petition is found insufficient, the City Clerk shall return it immediately to the person who filed it with a statement certifying wherein it is insufficient. Within the regular time limit for filing petitions, the original petition may be amended and filed again as a new petition, or another petition may be filed for the same candidate. The City Clerk shall keep on file all petitions found sufficient at least until the expiration of the term for which the candidates are nominated in those petitions.
(Charter effective 1-1-77)