Per Chapter IV of the City Charter, prospective candidates must submit nominating petitions bearing no fewer than 100 and no more than 150 signatures of registered Ferndale voters.

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Start by visiting the City Clerk's Office to receive your nominating packet, which includes:

• Nominating petitions
• Calendar of important dates
• Other useful information.

The City Clerk's Office is located at Ferndale City Hall, 300 E. Nine Mile rd. Open hours are Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

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Candidates must be:

• Twenty-five years of age or older,
• A citizen of the United States,
• And a resident of the City of Ferndale at least two years immediately preceding the election at which they seek to be elected for office.

Election is non-partisan and members serve at large (not representing any particular section of the City).

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• All candidates will be provided with a comprehensive candidate handbook, which will answer many questions.
• Election-related questions should be directed to the City Clerk. Information will be shared with all candidates.
• Questions about City operations should be directed to the City Manager. Information will be shared with all candidates.

The state has stringent requirements about petitions. Three important points:

• The state has official petition blanks that you must use. They are available at City Hall—you cannot print them at home. Circulators should not sign until after a sheet is filled. Signatures dated later than the circulators cannot be counted.
• You can only sign petitions equal to the number of seats open. Where any name appears on more petitions than there are candidates to be elected to a specific office, that name cannot be counted for any petition for that office.
• The state mandated deadline to submit nominating petitions is Tuesday, July 23 at 4 p.m. at City Hall. No petitions will be accepted after this date and time.

What happens to the petitions once they’re submitted

• The City Clerk has 5 days to determine the sufficiency of the signatures. Candidates will be notified in writing immediately if they do not have at least 100 valid signatures. As long as the July 23 at 4 p.m. filing deadline has not passed candidates may submit more signatures to make up the deficiency.
• There are many statutory reasons a signature may not be valid. It is highly recommended to exceed the 100-signature minimum, keeping in mind no more than 150 can be accepted.

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City Council meetings are held on the second and fourth Monday of each month, at 7:00 p.m. in City Hall Council Chambers. To learn more about meetings and regulations, see our Council rules.

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