Getting Ready:

2009 General City Elections

Understanding the Basics of City Elections

The City Clerk serves as the chief election officer

responsible for:

Overseeing candidate filing,

Printing ballots,

Publishing notices and sample ballots,

Overseeing absentee voting,

Designating election judges and clerks, and

Selecting polling places.

The Candidate Filing Process

Every candidate for Mayor or Council must

file a declaration of candidacy:

Attesting they meet the qualifications

required by law, and

Declaring the office and term for which

they are running.

The declaration must be accompanied by

on of two items:

A nonrefundable filing fee of $40,

OR

A petition of candidacy signed by at least

5 qualified city electors.

Idaho law requires every candidate for Mayor or Council to

meet the following qualifications:

At least 18 years of age,

A U.S. citizen,

The candidate’s primary residence must be within the city,

The address of the candidate’s voter registration must match

the residence address on the candidate’s declaration, and

The candidate must be a resident of the city for at least 30 days

before their declaration Is submitted to the City Clerk.

The period for candidates to file their

declarations and petitions of candidacy:

Begins Monday, August 24 at 8 a.m.,

and

Ends Friday, September 4 at 5 p.m.

The candidate’s name will appear on the ballot

exactly as written on the declaration of candidacy.

It is permissible for candidates to use initials for

their first or middle name.

A nickname should be put in quotes within the

person’s legal name: Jeffrey “Scooter” Owens.

The declaration of candidacy must be signed by

candidate and notarized by a duly authorized Idaho

notary.

The petition of candidacy must be signed by the

person soliciting petition signatures and notarized by

a duly authorized Idaho notary.

The City Clerk or Deputy City Clerk (if a duly

authorized Idaho notary) may notarize the forms.

Petition signatures are often gathered by the candidate

personally, but may be collected by any person who is:

At least 18 years of age, and

An Idaho resident.

Candidate must take petition to County Clerk’s office for

verification of signatures before filing with the City Clerk.

County Clerk or Deputy County Clerk will attach a written

certification of the number of signatures of qualified city

electors.

Before accepting the nominating forms from the

candidate, the City Clerk must confirm:

That the candidate is registered to vote in the City,

and

That the candidate’s residence address provided on

the declaration of candidacy matches the address

listed in the voter registration database.

Why does the City Clerk need to check to see if a candidate

is registered?

The individual may have been purged from the registration

rolls, or may have moved and is registered at the incorrect

address.

In either case, the individual needs to re-register before filing

their declaration. This is easy to fix as long as it is done

before the candidate files.

City Clerk will only accept the

candidate’s filing forms once they

are satisfied the candidate meets the

qualifications established by law.

Questions?

Deadlines for the

2009 General City Election

Published Notice to Potential Candidates

Friday, August 21: 1st day for City Clerk to publish a notice to

potential candidates including:

The name of the City,

Date of the election,

Offices up for election,

Declarations of candidacy are available from the City Clerk, and

The candidate filing deadline.

Idaho Code 50-435.

Opening Deadline for Candidate Filing

Monday, August 24: 1st day for candidates to file

declarations of candidacy. The declaration must

be accompanied by ONE of the following:

A nonrefundable filing fee of $40, OR

A petition with at least 5 signatures of qualified city

electors.

Idaho Code 50-430 through 50-432.

Published Notice to Potential Candidates

Friday, August 28: Last day for the City Clerk to publish a

notice to potential candidates including:

The name of the City,

Date of the election,

Offices up for election,

Declarations of candidacy are available from the City Clerk, and

The candidate filing deadline.

Idaho Code 50-435.

Closing Deadline for Candidate Filing

Friday, September 4: Last day for candidates to file

declarations of candidacy. The declaration must be

accompanied by ONE of the following:

A nonrefundable filing fee of $40, OR

A petition with at least 5 signatures of qualified city

electors.

Idaho Code 50-430 through 50-432.

Write-in Candidate Filing Deadline

Tuesday, October 20: Last day for write-in

candidates to file a declaration of intent affirming

their qualifications and the office for which they

are running.

Write-in candidates do not have to submit a filing

fee or petition with their declaration of intent.

Idaho Code 50-432 and 34-702A.

Deadline for Applications

for Challengers & Watchers

Thursday, October 29: Deadline for candidates to submit

written request for challengers & watchers—a candidate may

appoint one of each.

Challengers are at the polling place to challenge voters’

qualifications.

Watchers are at the polling place to watch the conduct of the

election, including counting of votes.

Idaho Code 50-410.

Questions & Answers

Question: Can a candidate sign their own petition?

Answer: Yes. There is nothing in the law that

prohibits a candidate, or their spouse or adult

family members from signing the candidate’s

petition (as long as all are qualified city electors).

Question: Can candidates campaign on Election Day?

Answer: Yes, but campaigning within or near a polling place

is a criminal offense (“electioneering”).

Campaigning is prohibited within the polling place or in any

building in which an election is being held (such as the

absentee polling place).

Campaigning is also prohibited within 100 feet of a polling

place. Measurement is taken from the main entrance to the

building, or the closest entrance to the polling area.

Idaho Code 18-2318.

Questions?