CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.House Bill 1709er
ENROLLED
1997 Legislature HB 1709, First Engrossed
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2 An act relating to the Alachua County School
3 Board; amending s. 1, ch. 95-466, Laws of
4 Florida; specifying an alternative method of
5 qualification for candidates for election to
6 the board; providing an effective date.
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8 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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10 Section 1. Section 1 of chapter 95-466, Laws of
11 Florida, is amended to read:
12 Section 1. Members of the Alachua County School Board
13 shall be elected on a nonpartisan basis. However, except as
14 otherwise provided in this act, the provisions of law
15 regulating elections of school board members apply to
16 elections of Alachua County School Board members.
17 (1) Each person seeking election to the Alachua County
18 School Board shall file qualification papers with the
19 supervisor of elections which do not contain any reference to
20 political party affiliation.
21 (2)(a) A person seeking to qualify for election to the
22 Alachua County School Board may qualify for election to such
23 office by means of the petitioning process prescribed in this
24 subsection. A person qualifying by this alternative method
25 shall not be required to pay the qualifying fee or party
26 assessment required by state law. A person using this
27 petitioning process shall file an oath with the supervisor of
28 elections stating that he or she intends to qualify by this
29 alternative method. The candidate must indicate in his or her
30 oath for which group or district he or she is running. The
31 oath shall be filed at any time after the first Tuesday after
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1997 Legislature HB 1709, First Engrossed
1 the first Monday in January of the year in which the election
2 is held, but prior to the 21st day preceding the first day of
3 the qualifying period. No signatures shall be obtained by a
4 candidate on any nominating petition until the candidate has
5 filed the oath.
6 (b) Upon receipt of a written oath from a candidate,
7 the supervisor of elections shall provide the candidate with
8 petition forms in sufficient numbers to facilitate the
9 gathering of signatures pursuant to this subsection. Such
10 forms shall be prescribed by the Division of Elections. No
11 signature shall be counted toward the number of signatures
12 required unless it is on a petition form prescribed pursuant
13 to this subsection.
14 (c) When a candidate has filed the oath prescribed in
15 this subsection, the candidate may begin to seek signatures on
16 petitions supporting his or her candidacy. Only signatures of
17 electors who are registered in Alachua County shall be counted
18 toward obtaining the minimum number of signatures prescribed
19 in this subsection. A candidate for the office of school
20 board of Alachua County shall obtain the signatures of a
21 number of qualified electors equal to at least 3 percent of
22 the total number of registered electors of Alachua County as
23 shown by the compilation by the Department of State for the
24 last preceding general election.
25 (3)(a) The name of an unopposed candidate for the
26 office of school board member shall not appear on any ballot,
27 and such candidate shall be deemed to have voted for himself
28 at the general election.
29 (b) If two candidates, neither of whom is a write-in
30 candidate, qualify in a school-board-member residence area,
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1997 Legislature HB 1709, First Engrossed
1 the names of those candidates shall be placed on the ballot at
2 the general election.
3 (c) If more than two candidates, none of whom is a
4 write-in candidate, qualify in a school-board-member residence
5 area, the names of those candidates shall be placed on the
6 ballot at the first primary election. If any candidate for
7 such office receives a majority of the votes cast for such
8 office in the first primary election, the name of the
9 candidate who receives such majority shall not appear on any
10 other ballot unless a write-in candidate has qualified for
11 such office. An unopposed candidate shall be deemed to have
12 voted for himself at the general election. If no candidate
13 for such office receives a majority of the votes cast for such
14 office in the first primary election, the names of the two
15 candidates receiving the highest number of votes for such
16 office shall be placed on the general election ballot. If
17 more than two candidates receive an equal and highest number
18 of votes, the name of each candidate receiving an equal and
19 highest number of votes shall be placed on the general
20 election ballot. In any contest in which there is a tie for
21 second place and the candidate placing first did not receive a
22 majority of the votes cast for such office, the name of the
23 candidate placing first and the name of each candidate tying
24 for second shall be placed on the general election ballot.
25 (d) The candidate who receives the highest number of
26 votes cast for the office in the general election shall be
27 elected to such office. If the vote at the general election
28 results in a tie, the outcome shall be determined by lot.
29 Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
30 law.
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