General Provisions

Elections for District and At-Large Commissioners shall take place at one or more locations determined by the Elections Committee annually prior to September 30. Public elections shall be conducted by secret ballot. No election procedure shall be scheduled if the number of candidates is less than or equal to the number of elected Commissioners with expiring terms.

​

When a date is set as a deadline, and that date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or a State (Ohio) or national holiday, then the deadline shall be extended to the next regular business day following such weekend day or holiday. In all cases, the day of the deadline shall end at 4:30 p.m. Deadlines as they pertain to the election rules shall be strictly adhered to and shall be final in regard to the items to which they relate. No person shall have the right to an extension of any election deadline.

​

Candidate Qualifications

 

1. The Elections Committee shall review the qualifications of candidates and the suitability of Petitions and shall approve such candidates to be included on the ballot.

2. Each candidate shall be sixteen (16) years of age or older and must be a resident of the Commission district for which he/she/they seeks to be elected at the time he/she/they commences circulating a nominating petition and as of election day. 

3. Candidates in this non-partisan election shall not declare any political party affiliation. 

4. Candidates need not be registered voters on the rolls of the Franklin County Election Board. 

5. Write-in candidates are not permitted. 

6. At-Large Commissioner candidates do not need to reside on the Near East Area Commission (NEAC) boundaries but must demonstrate a vested interest in the Near East Side community and represent the particular At-Large constituency consistent with Article II, section (1) B of the Near East Area Commission bylaws.

​

Petitions 

1. All candidates must comply with the requirements of this section to be eligible to run for a Commissioner seat in the election.

2. Petitions shall be made available no later than the last day of June

3. Petitions shall be circulated personally by the candidates, subject to a potential exception due to disability if so requested of the Committee by the candidate. The Committee shall act upon such request within seven days of receipt. If granted, the Committee shall identify the proxy designated to circulate the petition. 

4. Each circulator of a petition must complete and execute the affidavit at the end of the petition prior to its submission to the Elections Committee. 

5. Each petition for a district seat must be signed by at least fifty (50) persons, aged 16 or over, and residing in the area NEAC district of the candidate. 

6. At-Large Commissioner candidates shall follow the same petition qualifications as District Commissioner candidates, with the exception that at-large candidates may gather the 50 petition signatures from any of the four NEAC districts.

​

Jump to the bottom to find the petition documents.

​

Voter Qualifications

 

1. Each voter must be sixteen (16) years of age or older. Identification may be required to verify age. 

2. Each voter must be a resident within the Near East Area Commission boundaries as of the election date. Identification shall be required to verify place of residence. 

3. Voters need not be registered on the rolls of the Franklin County Board of Elections. 

4. DVoters shall vote only upon the ballot for the district in which the voter resides and any At-Large candidate.

​

Campaign Procedures

 

1. Campaigning shall be permissible only within the fourteen (14) days immediately preceding Election Day. 

2. There shall be a $100.00 limit on campaign expenditures. A campaign expense is any appraisable good or service acquired primarily for campaign purposes. Each candidate must file a report of campaign expenditures with the Elections Committee within seven (7) calendar days after the election and candidates failing to meet this requirement shall be disqualified. 

3. Campaigning of any kind (including the posting of campaign materials, and not excluding any other activity that would amount to campaigning) within 100 feet of the polling place premises is prohibited. Violation of this rule shall result in the disqualification of the candidate. 

4. Campaigning, whether in person, through written materials, or online, shall be conducted in a respectful manner. Vigorous campaigning is appropriate, but campaigning which involves the deliberate falsification of any candidate’s qualifications or deliberately misrepresents the endorsement of any candidate by the Commission, or any other public agency shall constitute an infraction of the election rules. 

5. It is the candidate's responsibility to remove any campaign posters, flyers, etc., within 48 hours following Election Day.

​

Polling Places

The number and location of polls shall be determined by the Elections Committee. If that Committee determines that polls shall be in each district, there shall be an equal number of polling places in each district.

​

Hours for Voting

Polling places will be open on such days and hours as set by the Elections Committee.

​

Polling Procedures

 

• The polling staff shall keep a register of the residents who have voted in the respective polling places, said register to reflect a list of names and addresses of those who cast ballots and signatures. No voter shall cast more than one (1) ballot in an election.

• All polling records shall be placed in the custody of the Secretary of the Commission and retained in a secure place for three (3) years.

 

Ballots

 

1. Upon each ballot there shall be prominently displayed the identifying number for the respective district of the candidates listed. 

2. Each ballot shall carry the name of each candidate and shall state the number of candidates for whom the voter may vote. A block shall precede the name of each candidate certified by the Election Committee as having been properly nominated. 

3. The order of listing candidate's names on the ballot of the respective area districts shall be determined by a drawing of names anonymously. 

4. No political party or other organization shall be named on the ballot. 

5. The total of ballots reproduced for each district shall be numbered and recorded by the Elections Committee.

​

Security of Ballots

1. In polling places, each ballot voted shall be deposited by the voter in a sealed ballot box. 

2. Ballot boxes shall remain sealed until counting begins. 

3. Counting shall begin after all ballot boxes have been delivered to the Election Committee at its headquarters. 

4. All voted ballots for each district shall be placed in a sealed container after counting has been completed. 

5. The sealed containers shall be kept in a secure place until three (3) weeks after the election, at which time they may be destroyed under the supervision of the Elections Committee.

​

Counting of Ballots

1. Elections shall be determined by a plurality of votes if three (3) or more candidates vie for a single position; otherwise, a majority of votes cast shall determine the winner. In the event of a tie (confirmed by a recount), the winner shall be decided by the majority vote of the Commission, subject to the approval of the Mayor and Columbus City Council.

2. The counting of ballots shall be done by the Election Committee at its headquarters immediately following the conclusion of all voting and the transportation of voted ballots to the headquarters. 

3. Candidates may have an observer present at the counting of ballots. 

4. Results of the balloting shall be certified by the Elections Committee to the Commission at the next regularly scheduled meeting following the election and shall, thereafter, be certified by the full Commission at the next regular Commission meeting, before being sent by the Secretary of the Commission to the Clerk of City Council within thirty (30) days.

​

Election Challenges 

 

1. An infraction of any of the election rules may result in a candidate being disqualified and/or a special election. 

2. An unsuccessful candidate who believes an infraction of the election rules has occurred may file an appeal. Election challenges must be presented in writing to the Chair of the Elections Committee on or before 5:00 p.m. of the 7th day following the election. 

3. In the event of an election challenge, the Elections Committee as soon as possible, but within ten (10) days of receipt of the challenge, shall hold a public meeting to which all applicable candidates shall be notified. The Committee shall consider all evidence relevant to the appeal and shall make its decision whether an infraction of the election rules has occurred and what remedy, if any, is appropriate. The decision of the Election Committee shall be appealable to the full Commission at its next regular meeting or special meeting, if called by the Chair. 

​

Code of Conduct Certification

All elected and appointed Commissioners shall complete the Area Commission appointment/code of conduct form and return the completed form to the Department of Neighborhoods. All forms shall be signed by the Commission Chairperson and submitted to the Department of Neighborhoods annually prior to the last day of September.