H.B. 272 Enrolled

             1     

MUNICIPAL ELECTION AMENDMENTS - OFFICE HOURS

             2     
2014 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Chief Sponsor: John Knotwell

             5     
Senate Sponsor: Todd Weiler

             6     
             7      LONG TITLE
             8      General Description:
             9          This bill requires a city recorder or town clerk to maintain certain office hours during
             10      the municipal candidacy declaration and nomination period.
             11      Highlighted Provisions:
             12          This bill:
             13          .    requires a city recorder or town clerk to maintain certain office hours during the
             14      municipal candidacy declaration and nomination period; and
             15          .    makes technical and conforming amendments.
             16      Money Appropriated in this Bill:
             17          None
             18      Other Special Clauses:
             19          None
             20      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             21      AMENDS:
             22           10-3-301 , as last amended by Laws of Utah 2012, Chapter 251
             23           20A-9-203 , as last amended by Laws of Utah 2013, Chapters 317 and 402
             24     
             25      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             26          Section 1. Section 10-3-301 is amended to read:
             27           10-3-301. Notice -- Eligibility and residency requirements for elected municipal
             28      office -- Mayor and recorder limitations.
             29          (1) (a) On or before February 1 in a year in which there is a municipal general election,


             30      the municipal clerk shall publish a notice that identifies:
             31          (i) the municipal offices to be voted on in the municipal general election; and
             32          (ii) the dates for filing a declaration of candidacy for the offices identified under
             33      Subsection (1)(a)(i).
             34          (b) The municipal clerk shall publish the notice described in Subsection (1)(a):
             35          (i) on the Utah Public Notice Website established by Section 63F-1-701 ; and
             36          (ii) in at least one of the following ways:
             37          (A) at the principal office of the municipality;
             38          (B) in a newspaper of general circulation within the municipality at least once a week
             39      for two successive weeks in accordance with Section 45-1-101 ;
             40          (C) in a newsletter produced by the municipality;
             41          (D) on a website operated by the municipality; or
             42          (E) with a utility enterprise fund customer's bill.
             43          (2) (a) A person filing a declaration of candidacy for a municipal office shall meet the
             44      requirements of Section 20A-9-203 .
             45          (b) (i) Except as provided in Subsection (2)(b)(ii), the city recorder or town clerk of
             46      each municipality shall maintain office hours 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the dates described in
             47      Subsections 20A-9-203 (2)(a)(i) and (b)(i) unless the date occurs on a:
             48          (A) Saturday or Sunday; or
             49          (B) state holiday as listed in Section 63G-1-301 .
             50          (ii) If on a regular basis a city recorder or town clerk maintains an office schedule that
             51      is less than 40 hours per week, the city recorder or town clerk may comply with Subsection
             52      (2)(b)(i) without maintaining office hours by:
             53          (A) posting the recorder's or clerk's contact information, including a phone number and
             54      email address, on the recorder's or clerk's office door, the main door to the municipal offices,
             55      and, if available, on the municipal website; and
             56          (B) being available at that contact information from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the dates
             57      described in Subsection (2)(b)(i).


             58          (3) Any person elected to municipal office shall be a registered voter in the
             59      municipality in which the person was elected.
             60          (4) (a) Each elected officer of a municipality shall maintain residency within the
             61      boundaries of the municipality during the officer's term of office.
             62          (b) If an elected officer of a municipality establishes a principal place of residence as
             63      provided in Section 20A-2-105 outside the municipality during the officer's term of office, the
             64      office is automatically vacant.
             65          (5) If an elected municipal officer is absent from the municipality any time during the
             66      officer's term of office for a continuous period of more than 60 days without the consent of the
             67      municipal legislative body, the municipal office is automatically vacant.
             68          (6) (a) A mayor of a municipality may not also serve as the municipal recorder or
             69      treasurer.
             70          (b) The recorder of a municipality may not also serve as the municipal treasurer.
             71          Section 2. Section 20A-9-203 is amended to read:
             72           20A-9-203. Declarations of candidacy -- Municipal general elections.
             73          (1) (a) (i) A person may become a candidate for any municipal office if:
             74          (A) the person is a registered voter; and
             75          (B) (I) the person has resided within the municipality in which that person seeks to
             76      hold elective office for the 12 consecutive months immediately before the date of the election;
             77      or
             78          (II) if the territory in which the person resides was annexed into the municipality, the
             79      person has resided within the annexed territory or the municipality the 12 consecutive months
             80      immediately before the date of the election.
             81          (ii) For purposes of determining whether a person meets the residency requirement of
             82      Subsection (1)(a)(i)(B)(I) in a municipality that was incorporated less than 12 months before
             83      the election, the municipality shall be considered to have been incorporated 12 months before
             84      the date of the election.
             85          (b) In addition to the requirements of Subsection (1)(a), each candidate for a municipal


             86      council position shall, if elected from a district, be a resident of the council district from which
             87      elected.
             88          (c) In accordance with Utah Constitution Article IV, Section 6, any mentally
             89      incompetent person, any person convicted of a felony, or any person convicted of treason or a
             90      crime against the elective franchise may not hold office in this state until the right to hold
             91      elective office is restored under Section 20A-2-101.3 or 20A-2-101.5 .
             92          (2) (a) A person seeking to become a candidate for a municipal office shall:
             93          (i) file a declaration of candidacy, in person with the city recorder or town clerk, during
             94      the office hours described in Section 10-3-301 and not later than the close of [normal] those
             95      office hours, between June 1 and June 7 of any odd-numbered year; and
             96          (ii) pay the filing fee, if one is required by municipal ordinance.
             97          (b) Any resident of a municipality may nominate a candidate for a municipal office by:
             98          (i) filing a nomination petition with the city recorder or town clerk during the office
             99      hours[, but] described in Section 10-3-301 and not later than the close of [normal] those office
             100      hours, between June 1 and June 7 of any odd-numbered year; and
             101          (ii) paying the filing fee, if one is required by municipal ordinance.
             102          (3) (a) Before the filing officer may accept any declaration of candidacy or nomination
             103      petition, the filing officer shall:
             104          (i) read to the prospective candidate or person filing the petition the constitutional and
             105      statutory qualification requirements for the office that the candidate is seeking; and
             106          (ii) require the candidate or person filing the petition to state whether the candidate
             107      meets those requirements.
             108          (b) If the prospective candidate does not meet the qualification requirements for the
             109      office, the filing officer may not accept the declaration of candidacy or nomination petition.
             110          (c) If it appears that the prospective candidate meets the requirements of candidacy, the
             111      filing officer shall:
             112          (i) inform the candidate that the candidate's name will appear on the ballot as it is
             113      written on the declaration of candidacy;


             114          (ii) provide the candidate with a copy of the current campaign financial disclosure laws
             115      for the office the candidate is seeking and inform the candidate that failure to comply will
             116      result in disqualification as a candidate and removal of the candidate's name from the ballot;
             117          (iii) provide the candidate with a copy of Section 20A-7-801 regarding the Statewide
             118      Electronic Voter Information Website Program and inform the candidate of the submission
             119      deadline under Subsection 20A-7-801 (4)(a);
             120          (iv) provide the candidate with a copy of the pledge of fair campaign practices
             121      described under Section 20A-9-206 and inform the candidate that:
             122          (A) signing the pledge is voluntary; and
             123          (B) signed pledges shall be filed with the filing officer; and
             124          (v) accept the declaration of candidacy or nomination petition.
             125          (d) If the candidate elects to sign the pledge of fair campaign practices, the filing
             126      officer shall:
             127          (i) accept the candidate's pledge; and
             128          (ii) if the candidate has filed for a partisan office, provide a certified copy of the
             129      candidate's pledge to the chair of the county or state political party of which the candidate is a
             130      member.
             131          (4) Notwithstanding the requirement in Subsection (2)(a)(i) to file a declaration of
             132      candidacy in person, a person may designate an agent to file the form described in Subsection
             133      (5) in person with the city recorder or town clerk if:
             134          (a) the person is located outside the state during the filing period because:
             135          (i) of employment with the state or the United States; or
             136          (ii) the person is a member of:
             137          (A) the active or reserve components of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or
             138      Coast Guard of the United States who is on active duty;
             139          (B) the Merchant Marine, the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service, or the
             140      commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United
             141      States; or


             142          (C) the National Guard on activated status;
             143          (b) the person makes the declaration of candidacy described in Subsection (5) to a
             144      person qualified to administer an oath;
             145          (c) the person communicates with the city recorder or town clerk using an electronic
             146      device that allows the person and the city recorder or town clerk to see and hear each other; and
             147          (d) the person provides the city recorder or town clerk with an email address to which
             148      the filing officer may send the copies described in Subsection (3).
             149          (5) (a) The declaration of candidacy shall substantially comply with the following
             150      form:
             151          "I, (print name) ____, being first sworn, say that I reside at ____ Street, City of ____,
             152      County of ____, state of Utah, Zip Code ____, Telephone Number (if any) ____; that I am a
             153      registered voter; and that I am a candidate for the office of ____ (stating the term). I will meet
             154      the legal qualifications required of candidates for this office. I will file all campaign financial
             155      disclosure reports as required by law and I understand that failure to do so will result in my
             156      disqualification as a candidate for this office and removal of my name from the ballot. I
             157      request that my name be printed upon the applicable official ballots. (Signed)
             158      _______________
             159          Subscribed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me by ____ on this
             160      __________(month\day\year).
             161          (Signed) _______________ (Clerk or other officer qualified to administer oath)"
             162          (b) An agent designated to file a declaration of candidacy under Subsection (4) may not
             163      sign the form described in Subsection (5)(a).
             164          (6) (a) A registered voter may be nominated for municipal office by submitting a
             165      petition signed, with a holographic signature, by:
             166          (i) 25 residents of the municipality who are at least 18 years old; or
             167          (ii) 20% of the residents of the municipality who are at least 18 years old.
             168          (b) (i) The petition shall substantially conform to the following form:
             169     
"NOMINATION PETITION


             170          The undersigned residents of (name of municipality) being 18 years old or older
             171      nominate (name of nominee) to the office of ____ for the (two or four-year term, whichever is
             172      applicable)."
             173          (ii) The remainder of the petition shall contain lines and columns for the signatures of
             174      persons signing the petition and their addresses and telephone numbers.
             175          (7) If the declaration of candidacy or nomination petition fails to state whether the
             176      nomination is for the two or four-year term, the clerk shall consider the nomination to be for
             177      the four-year term.
             178          (8) (a) The clerk shall verify with the county clerk that all candidates are registered
             179      voters.
             180          (b) Any candidate who is not registered to vote is disqualified and the clerk may not
             181      print the candidate's name on the ballot.
             182          (9) Immediately after expiration of the period for filing a declaration of candidacy, the
             183      clerk shall:
             184          (a) cause the names of the candidates as they will appear on the ballot to be published:
             185          (i) in at least two successive publications of a newspaper with general circulation in the
             186      municipality; and
             187          (ii) as required in Section 45-1-101 ; and
             188          (b) notify the lieutenant governor of the names of the candidates as they will appear on
             189      the ballot.
             190          (10) A declaration of candidacy or nomination petition filed under this section may not
             191      be amended after the expiration of the period for filing a declaration of candidacy.
             192          (11) (a) A declaration of candidacy or nomination petition filed under this section is
             193      valid unless a written objection is filed with the clerk within five days after the last day for
             194      filing.
             195          (b) If an objection is made, the clerk shall:
             196          (i) mail or personally deliver notice of the objection to the affected candidate
             197      immediately; and


             198          (ii) decide any objection within 48 hours after it is filed.
             199          (c) If the clerk sustains the objection, the candidate may correct the problem by
             200      amending the declaration or petition within three days after the objection is sustained or by
             201      filing a new declaration within three days after the objection is sustained.
             202          (d) (i) The clerk's decision upon objections to form is final.
             203          (ii) The clerk's decision upon substantive matters is reviewable by a district court if
             204      prompt application is made to the district court.
             205          (iii) The decision of the district court is final unless the Supreme Court, in the exercise
             206      of its discretion, agrees to review the lower court decision.
             207          (12) Any person who filed a declaration of candidacy and was nominated, and any
             208      person who was nominated by a nomination petition, may, any time up to 23 days before the
             209      election, withdraw the nomination by filing a written affidavit with the clerk.


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