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ITEM: ORDINANCE NO. 2017-13 (AMENDING QUALIFYING PERIOD FOR 2018 MUNICIPAL ELECTION)
AN ORDINANCE OF WELLINGTON, FLORIDA'S COUNCIL AMENDING THE DATE OF THE QUALIFYING PERIOD FOR THE 2018 MUNICIPAL ELECTION; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
REQUEST: Approval of Ordinance No. 2017-13 on Second Reading amending the date of the qualifying period for Wellington's 2018 Municipal Election.
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EXPLANATION: Ms. Susan Bucher, the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, has requested that all municipalities move the dates of their qualifying period to allow sufficient time for her to comply with Florida Statutes Section 101.62, which requires that vote-by-mail ballots be sent no later than 45 days before each presidential preference primary election, primary election and general election; and to each absent uniformed services voter and to each overseas voter who has requested a vote-by-mail ballot.
Although section 9.C of Wellington's Charter provides "that any resident of the Village who wishes to become a candidate for a village elective office shall qualify with the Village Clerk no sooner than noon on the last Tuesday in January nor later than noon on the second Tuesday in February of the year in which the election is to be held," Florida Statute section 100.3605 permits municipal governments, by ordinance, to change the dates for qualifying and for election of members of the governing body of the municipality.
Ordinance No. 2017-13 amends the qualifying period for the 2018 Wellington Municipal Election scheduled to be held on Tuesday, March 13, 2018 as follows:
Qualifying Period for candidates will be from noon on December 5, 2017 to noon on December 19, 2017.
Nothing in Ordinance No. 2017-13 is intended to create a permanent change to the Village Charter. Following the March 13, 2018 election, and any subsequent runoff, the qualifying period for Wellington municipal elections shall thereafter comply with the Village Charter.
Or...
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