AN ACT FURTHER REGULATING THE FILLING OF VACANCIES ON THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD
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. Notwithstanding section 50A of chapter 43 of the General Laws or any other general or special law to the contrary, if a vacancy occurs on the city council of the city of Springfield for any cause during the term of office of a city council member who was elected as a ward representative, the city clerk shall immediately, within 15 days, notify the city council and the board of election commissioners and, if there are more than 210 days before the expiration of the term of the vacated office, shall issue an order to the election commission to hold a: (i) special preliminary election on a Tuesday not less than 62 days and not more than 76 days after the issuance of such an order; and (ii) special election on a Tuesday not more than 28 days after the preliminary election. If there are less than 210 days before the expiration of the term of the vacated office, the vacant seat shall remain vacant until such time as it has been filled by general election.
SECTION 2. If the vacancy described in section 1 occurs less than 210 days prior to the expiration of the term of the vacant seat but at least 10 days before the regularly scheduled general election to fill that seat, the candidates in that general election from the affected ward shall be notified by the election commission of the vacancy.
SECTION 3. Special elections shall be conducted consistent with the charter of the city of Springfield. If the number of candidates certified by the elections office is less than double the number of the vacant seats plus 1, then the board of election commissioners shall cancel the preliminary election.
SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon its passage.
Approved, May 19, 2022.