Columbia Nominations by Petition ordinance (Charter § 122)

Nominations of candidates for all elective offices shall be by petition. Petitions for ward council members shall be signed by not less than fifty (50), nor more than seventy-five (75), registered voters who are entitled to vote for the candidate so nominated. Petitions for officials elected by the entire city shall be signed by not less than one

hundred (100), nor more than one hundred fifty (150), registered voters of the city.

In order for a signature to be valid, it must be accompanied by the following information, legibly written: the name of petitioner, the address of petitioner, and the date petitioner signed the petition.

The signatures on the nominating petition need not all be appended to one paper, but each separate paper shall bear a statement setting forth the election date, the office to be filled, and the name of the candidate on whose behalf the petition is being filed. In addition, there shall be attached to each such paper a signed statement of the circulator thereof, stating the number of signers of such paper, that each signature appended thereto was made in the circulator's presence and is the genuine signature of the person whose name it purports to be and that the circulator believes each signer to be a legal voter. Nominating petitions shall be filed with the city clerk not earlier than 8:00 a.m. on the last Tuesday in October before the election, nor later than 5:00 p.m. on the fourteenth day before the deadline set by state statute for notifying the election authority of an election. No nominating petition shall be accepted by the city clerk unless it contains the signed statement of the candidate accepting the nomination and agreeing to serve if elected. Nominating petitions shall be in substantially the following form:

We, the undersigned registered voters of the City of Columbia, Missouri, respectfully petition and request that the name of ___________, residing at ___________, be placed upon the ballot as a candidate for the office of ___________ to be voted for at the election to be held on ___________, 20___ and we, individually, state that we are qualified to vote for this candidate:

Signature Printed Name Street and Number Date of Signing

(spaces for signatures and required data)

STATEMENT OF CIRCULATOR

The undersigned is the circulator of the foregoing paper containing ___________ signatures. Each signature appended thereto was made in my presence and is the genuine signature of the person whose name it purports to be. I believe each signer is a registered voter qualified to vote for this candidate.

_____ Signature of Circulator

_____ Address

ACCEPTANCE OF NOMINATION

I hereby accept the nomination for the office of ___________ and agree to serve if elected.

_____ Signature of Candidate

Date and hour of filing _____

This petition is filed by _____

Whose address is _____

Received by _____ Signature of City Clerk

Within ten (10) days after the filing of a nominating petition, the city clerk shall notify the candidate and the person who filed the petition whether or not it is found to be sufficient. If a petition is found insufficient, the city clerk shall return it immediately to the person who filed it with a statement certifying wherein the petition is found insufficient. Within the regular time for filing petitions a new or supplemental petition may be filed for the same candidate. The petition of each candidate nominated shall be preserved by the city clerk until the expiration of the term of office for which the candidate has been nominated.