title
ORDINANCE SETTING 2018 ELECTION DATES AND QUALIFYING DATES (B)
ORDINANCE NO. 160988
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA, SETTING MARCH 20, 2018 AS THE DATE FOR THE 2018 REGULAR CITY ELECTION AND MAY 1, 2018 AS THE DATE FOR THE 2018 RUN-OFF ELECTION, IF NECESSARY; SETTING THE EARLY VOTING DATES FOR THE 2018 REGULAR CITY ELECTION AND 2018 RUN-OFF ELECTION, IF NECESSARY; SETTING THE DATES FOR QUALIFYING FOR THE 2018 REGULAR ELECTION; PROVIDING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; PROVIDING A REPEALING CLAUSE; AND PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVE DATE.
recommendation
The City Commission adopt the proposed ordinance.
explanation
The City Commission, at its meeting of May 4, 2017, approved the dates for the 2018 regular city election and run-off election. Section 9-2 of the City Code of Ordinances requires that the dates be set by ordinance adopted no later than July 1 of each year. Section 9-10 of the City Code of Ordinances states the period to qualify as a candidate for the office of Mayor or City Commissioner shall be between the 50th and 46th day prior to the date of the election. This ordinance sets forth the actual calendar dates for 2018 as follows:
Regular election -Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Run-off election (if necessary) - Tuesday, May 1, 2018
Qualifying Period - From noon on Monday, January 29, 2018 to noon on Friday, February 2, 2018.
Pursuant to an ordinance amendment last fall, dates for early voting must be included in the ordinance setting the election dates. The dates for early voting were inadvertently not included in the Clerk�s recommended election dates. This ordinance includes early voting dates of Saturday, March 10, 2018 to and including Saturday, March 17, 2018 for the general election and early voting dates of Saturday, April 21, 2018 to and including Saturday, April 28, 2018 for the run-off election, if necessary.