Saginaw Michigan Charter Chapter 2

Wards and Districts

            Section 2. The City of Saginaw shall constitute one (1) ward. The council may by ordinance establish convenient election districts. Until the council shall otherwise ordain, the election districts shall continue as now established.

Elections

            Section 3. A non-partisan regular city election shall be held on the first Monday in April in each odd numbered year. Special elections shall be held when called by resolution of the council at least thirty (30) days in advance of such election, or when required by this charter or the general laws of the state. Such resolution shall set forth the purpose of the election.

MCLA 168.644a et sec provides that regular city elections are held the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in odd years.

MCLA 168.639 Special Elections must be approved by County Election Scheduling Committee.

Nominating Petitions

            Section 4. Candidates for the office of councilman shall be nominated by petition. Nominating petitions on official blanks, signed by not less than fifty (50) nor more than one hundred (100) registered electors of the city shall be filed with the city clerk not later than twelve (12) noon on the fourth Saturday prior to the date of the city election. Official blank petitions shall be prepared by the city clerk and shall be furnished by him upon receipt of consent of the candidate in whose behalf petitions are requested.

168.644e provides that nominating petitions must be filed before 4pm the 7^th Tuesday prior to election.

Approval of Petitions

            Section 5. The city clerk shall accept for filing only such nominating petitions for qualified candidates as are on official blanks and contain the required number of signatures. He shall forthwith determine the sufficiency of the signatures on each petition filed and, if he finds any petition does not contain the required number of legal signatures of registered electors, he shall forthwith notify the candidate, who may file an amended petition not later than five (5) days after the date and hour for filing the original petition. Petitions which are found by the city clerk to contain the required number of signatures of registered electors for qualified candidates shall be marked “Approved,” with the date thereof.

Election Procedure

            Section 6. The general election laws of the state shall apply to and control, as near as may be, all procedure relating to elections, except as such laws relate to political parties or partisan procedure or require more than one publication of notice and except as otherwise provided by this charter. In any circumstance where the application of said laws may be uncertain, the election commission shall construe the same and prescribe the procedure.

Canvass of Vote

            Section 7. The council shall be the board of canvassers to canvass the votes at all elections under this charter. The council shall meet a seven-thirty (7:30) p.m., on the first Thursday after each election and publicly canvass the election returns, and shall determine the vote upon all questions and propositions and declare whether the same have been adopted or rejected and what persons have been elected at such election. The candidate or candidates (where more than one (1) are to be elected to the same office) who shall receive the greatest number of votes shall be elected.

Superceded by MCLA 168.30a - City Board of Canvassers

Tie Vote

            Section 8. If at any municipal election there shall be no choice between candidates by reason of two 92) or more having receive an equal number of votes, then the council shall proceed to determine the election of such candidates by lot in the same manner, as near as may be, as shall be provided by the general election laws of the state.

Election Commission

            Section 9. The election commission shall consist of the city clerk, the chief of police and the city attorney. The city clerk shall be chairman. The commission shall appoint the inspectors of election and fix their compensation and shall perform all of the duties required of city election commissions by state law or this charter.

Voting Hours

            Section 10. The polls for all elections shall be opened at seven (7) a.m., or as soon thereafter as may be, on election day and remain open until eight (8) p.m. of the same day.

Justice of the Peace

            Section 11. Justice of the Peace as established in Act No. 4 of the Public Acts of Michigan of 1917 shall be nominated and elected in accordance with the provisions of this charter regulating the nomination and election of councilmen.

Repealed -These duties now belong to the 70^th District Court MCLA 600.8135