2.117 Nominations.
Pursuant to Section 22 of the Medford Charter of 1998, the City Recorder shall be the City Elections Officer and shall oversee the nomination process as outlined in this Section. A qualified elector who meets the qualifications of Sections 8 and 12 of the Charter may be nominated for elective city office, pursuant to the process outlined in this Section. For purposes of this Section, a "qualified elector" shall mean an active Oregon registered voter who has continuously resided within the City for no less than six months prior to election day, and who remains in the City for the duration of his or her term in elective office. Nominees for City Council must live in the Ward they seek to represent at the time they are qualified for office, and must reside and remain in that ward. A candidate is considered "qualified for office" at the time the candidate submits his or her nomination papers to the City Elections Officer, as described in subsection (3) of this Section. If a person is a resident of an area annexed by the City less than six months prior to election, the person’s total continuous residency in the area annexed shall be counted towards the six-month requirement.
(1) Initiation of Nomination Process. Nomination shall be by a petition signed by at least 25 electors of the city. The petition shall be in a form prescribed by the Secretary of State’s Office, and shall specify the name and address of the nominee, the office sought, and the date of the general election.
In case of a nomination for a council position, the electors signing the petition must reside in the ward to be represented by the nominee. All electors signing the petition shall print their names, the date signed, and their residence address by street and number. The circulator of a nomination petition shall sign all petition forms he or she circulated, affirming that each signature appended thereto was made in his or her presence and is the genuine signature of the person whose name it purports to be.
(2) Completion of Nomination Process. To complete the nomination process, the nominee shall sign the form(s) required by the Secretary of State’s office and submit the completed form(s) to the City Elections Officer. All nominating papers shall be assembled and filed with the City Elections Officer as one instrument not sooner than the 15th day after the date of the primary election nor later than the 70th day before the date of the general election. The City Elections Officer shall make a record of the time at which each petition is filed and the name and address of the person by whom it is filed. After approving each applicant’s nominating papers, the City Elections Officer shall deliver completed petitions to the Jackson County Elections Office.
(3) Sufficiency of Nomination. Once a potential candidate’s nomination papers are approved by the City Elections Officer and deemed sufficient by the Jackson County Elections Office, then the candidate shall be considered "qualified" for the position. If the petition is insufficient, the Jackson County Elections Office will notify the City Elections Officer within five days after the filing, certifying in writing wherein the petition is insufficient. The deficient petition may be amended and resubmitted to the City Elections Officer. The City Elections Officer will verify qualifications for any potential candidates prior to their name being placed on the ballot. If the candidate does not qualify for the position, they will be rejected.
(4) Withdrawal of Nomination. Any person who has been nominated and has accepted the nomination may withdraw from nomination not later than the 67th day before the general election by filing a completed copy of the withdrawal form, published by the Secretary of State’s Office, with the City Elections Officer. The statement shall be signed and acknowledged by the candidate.
(5) Alternative Method for Social Distancing. Until January 1, 2021, in lieu of the above-described signatures supporting a nomination, an individual may instead choose to pay a fee of $25 to the City of Medford along with the above-described form and information, provided to the City Recorder.