7.40.010 Ballot form.
The city clerk shall prepare all official ballots to facilitate fairness, simplicity, and clarity in the voting procedure, to reflect most accurately the intent of the voter, and to expedite the administration of elections. The following requirements shall be followed in the preparation of the ballot:
A. The city clerk shall determine the size of the ballot, the type of print, necessary additional instruction notes to voters, and other similar matters of form not provided by law.
B. The city clerk shall number ballots in series to assure simplicity and secrecy and to prevent fraud.
C. Each ballot shall bear the words “Official Ballot,” and the date of the election.
D. The title of the office to be filled shall be followed by the printed names of the candidates for such office.
E. The names of candidates shall be printed as they appear upon the declaration of candidacy filed with the clerk, except that any honorary or assumed title or prefix shall be omitted. However, the candidate’s name appearing on the ballot may include a nickname or familiar form of the proper name.
F. The city clerk shall randomly determine the order of the names of the candidates on the ballot.
G. Below the printed names of candidates appearing on the ballot shall be blank lines equal in number to the seats to be filled for the office, upon which the voter may write the name(s) of person(s) not listed on the ballot.
H. Ballot propositions and questions shall be placed on the ballot in the manner prescribed by the clerk. Provisions shall be made for marking the proposition “Yes” or “No.” All ballot propositions shall be stated in the affirmative and not the negative so that a yes vote will always mean that the voter approves of the affirmative of a proposition and not the negative, and a no vote disapproves the affirmative statement of an issue. [Ord. 11-13 § 2.]