Charter of the City of Stockton

ARTICLE VII
NOMINATION AND ELECTIONS

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SECTION 700. Elections

A primary municipal election, for the nomination and election of persons to the elective offices of the City, shall be consolidated with the statewide direct primary in each even-numbered year or, in the event no such statewide direct primary is held, shall be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June in each even-numbered year. A general municipal election, for the election of persons to the elective offices of the City, shall be consolidated with the statewide general election in each even-numbered year or, in the event no such statewide general election is held, shall be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November in each even-numbered year.

(Amended Election 10/12/71 effective 12/6/71; Amended Election 10/9/79 effective 10/24/79; Amended Election 11/4/86 effective 12/9/86; Amended Election 11/8/94 effective 5/22/95)

SECTION 701. Special Municipal Elections

All other municipal elections that may be held in the City of Stockton by the authority of this Charter, of general law, or by ordinance of the City shall be known as special municipal elections.

(Amended Election 10/12/26; Amended Election 10/12/71 effective 12/6/71)

SECTION 702. Accordance with Elections Code of the State of California

Except as otherwise provided in this Charter, all elections, including mail ballot elections, shall be held in accordance with the provisions of the Elections Code of the State of California, as the same may now exist or may hereafter be amended, for the holding of municipal elections. Any election that does not occur on the same date as a statewide primary election or statewide general election may be conducted by mail. The City Council shall have the power to submit to the electors of the City at any election any question required to be submitted by the California Constitution, this Charter, general law, or ordinance of the City; provided that if the California Constitution, this Charter, general law, or ordinance of the City requires the question to be submitted at a particular kind of election or within or at a specified time, it shall be so submitted.

(Amended Election 10/12/71 effective 12/6/71; Amended Election 11/8/94 effective 5/22/95)

SECTION 703. Nominating Papers

Notwithstanding any provision of the Elections Code of the State of California to the contrary, nominating papers for candidates for the City Council and Mayor shall be signed by not less than ten (10) nor more than twenty-five (25) persons. Each signer and each person who circulates a nominating paper for a candidate for
the City Council shall be a resident and qualified elector of the same City Council district as that of the candidate. Each signer and each person who circulates a nominating paper for a candidate for Mayor shall be a resident of the City and a qualified elector of the City.

(Amended Election 10/12/71 effective 12/6/71; Amended Election 11/8/94 effective 5/22/95)

SECTION 704. Primary and General Election Candidates

In the primary municipal election, the electors in each district from which a Councilmember is to be elected shall be entitled to vote for one (1) candidate from their district; and the two (2) candidates for Councilmember in each district receiving the highest number of votes cast by the electors of their district shall be the candidates in the general municipal election. In the general municipal election, the electors in the City shall be entitled to vote for one (1) candidate in each district from which a Councilmember is to be elected, and the candidate for Councilmember in each district receiving the highest number of votes cast by the electors of the City shall be declared elected to such office.

If any provisions of this article or the application thereof to any persons or circumstances are held invalid, the invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of this article which can be given effect without the invalid provisions or applications, and to this end the provisions of this article are severable.

(Amended Election 10/12/71 effective 12/6/71; Amended Election 11/4/86 effective 12/9/86; Amended Election 11/8/94 effective 5/22/95)

Historical Note:

Sections 6-19•:Amended Election 10/11/49 effective 12/19/49; Amended Election 10/10/61 effective 2/13/62; Amended Election 6/2/70 effective 8/17/70; Repealed Election 10/12/71 effective 12/6/71

• These section numbers refer to a numbering system that was in place prior to the Election of 11/8/94.