AN ACT RELATIVE TO PRELIMINARY ELECTIONS IN THE TOWN OF FRAMINGHAM.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
SECTION 1. Chapter 34 of the acts of 1979 is hereby
amended by striking out section 2 and inserting in place thereof the following
section:-
Section 2. Any person who is qualified to vote in the town of Framingham
may be a candidate for elective town office, and shall be entitled to have his
name as such candidate presented on the official ballot to be used at a preliminary
election, provided that he files nomination papers provided by the town clerk
containing no less than 50 signatures certified as voters of said town. The preliminary
election shall be held on the twenty-eighth day preceding every regular or special
town election.
SECTION 2. Said chapter 34 is hereby further amended by striking
out section 7, as amended by chapter 341 of the acts of 1998, and inserting in
place thereof the following section:-
Section 7. If at the expiration of the
time for filing nomination papers of candidates to be voted at the preliminary
election, not more than 4 times as many such papers have been filed with the town
clerk for all offices as there are persons to be elected to such office, the candidates
whose nomination papers have been filed shall be deemed to have been nominated
to said office and their names shall be voted on for such office, at the succeeding
regular or special election, as the case may be, and the preliminary election
shall not be held. If there is at least 1 office where more than 4 times as many
nomination papers have been filed, then the preliminary election shall be held
and all the offices shall be listed on the ballot.
Nominations that are written
on the ballot for the preliminary election shall be 50 in number and meet the
requirements of section 6 to be listed on the ballot for the regular or special
election.
SECTION 3. Section 1 shall not apply to the 2004 annual town election and to the preliminary election that precedes it.
SECTION 4. The last paragraph of section 7 of chapter 34 of the acts of 1979 shall not apply to the 2004 annual town election and to the preliminary election that precedes it.
SECTION 5. This act shall take effect upon its passage.