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 105 days prior to the election, by 4:00 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 105-day 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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