19:60-7 - Nomination procedures; withdrawal, vacancy; objections

19:60-7.  Nomination procedures; withdrawal, vacancy; objections
7.Each candidate to be voted upon at a school election shall be nominated directly by petition, and the procedures for such nomination shall, to the extent not inconsistent with the provisions of P.L.1995, c.278 (C.19:60-1 et al.), conform to the procedure for nominating candidates by direct petition under chapter 13 of Title 19 of the Revised Statutes. Notwithstanding the provisions of R.S.19:13-5, however, a petition of nomination for such office shall be signed by at least 10 persons, one of whom may be the candidate, and filed with the secretary of the board of education on or before four p.m. of the 50th day preceding the date of the school election.  The signatures need not all appear upon a single petition and any number of petitions may be filed on behalf of any candidate but no petition shall contain the endorsement of more than one candidate.

Any candidate may withdraw as a candidate in a school election by filing a notice in writing, signed by the candidate, of such withdrawal with the secretary of the board of education before the 44th day before the date of the election, and thereupon the name of that candidate shall be withdrawn by the secretary of the board of education and shall not be printed on the ballot.

A vacancy created by a declination of nomination or withdrawal by, or death of, a nominee, or in any other manner, shall be ineligible to be filled under the provisions of R.S.19:13-19 or otherwise.

Whenever written objection to a petition of nomination hereunder shall have been made and timely filed with the secretary of the board of education, the board of education shall file its determination of the objection on or before the 44th day preceding the school election.  The last day upon which a candidate may file with the Superior Court a verified complaint setting forth any invasion or threatened invasion of the candidate's rights under the candidate's petition of nomination shall be the 46th day before the election.  The last day upon which a candidate whose petition of nomination or any affidavit thereto is defective may amend such petition or affidavit shall be the 44th day before the election.

L.1995,c.278,s.7; amended 2000, c.22.
 
19:60-8.Positions on ballot determined by drawing8. Notwithstanding the provisions of R.S.19:14-12, the position which the names of candidates shall have upon the annual school election ballot in each school district shall be determined by the secretary of the board of education by conducting a drawing in the following manner:

a. The drawing shall be done by the secretary of the board of education seven working days following the last day for filing a petition for the nomination of such a candidate. The person making the drawing shall make public announcement at the drawing of each name, the order in which the name is drawn and the term of office for which the drawing is made.

b. A separate drawing shall be made for each full term and for each unexpired term, respectively.  The names of the several candidates for whom petitions have been filed for each of the terms shall be written upon paper slips which shall be placed in capsules of the same size, shape, color and substance and then placed in a covered box with an aperture in the top large enough to admit a person's hand and to allow the capsules to be drawn therefrom.  The box shall be turned and shaken thoroughly to mix the capsules and the capsules shall be withdrawn one at a time.

c. Where there is more than one person to be elected for a given term of office, the position of the names on the ballots for each term of office shall be determined as above described.  The name of the candidate for each term of office first drawn from the box shall be printed directly below the proper term for which the person was nominated and the name of the candidate next drawn shall be printed next in order, and so on, until the last name shall be drawn from the box.

The secretary of the board of education shall, within two days following the drawing, certify to the county clerk the results of the drawing.

L.1995,c.278,s.8.