Title 17, Elections

§ 2310. Election of State committee (a)(1) The chair of the county committee shall be a member of the State committee. (2) Each county committee shall be entitled to elect at least two additional members of the State committee. These delegates need not be members of the county co…

§ 2311. Certification of county officers and State committee members (a) Within 72 hours of the first meeting of the county committee, its chair and secretary shall submit to the chair of the State committee a copy of the notice calling the meeting and a certified list of the nam…

§ 2312. First meeting of the State committee (a) The chair of the State committee shall name an hour and place of meeting, at which time the members-elect of the State committee shall meet and perfect an organization of the State committee for the ensuing two years. (b) The chair…

§ 2313. Filing of certificate of organization (a)(1) Within 10 days after the first meeting of the State committee of a party, the chair and secretary shall file in the office of the Secretary of State a certificate stating that the party has completed its organization for the en…

§ 2314. Officers required Every committee of a political party is required to elect a chair, a vice chair, a secretary, and a treasurer, who need not be members of the committee at the time of their election, but who become members, with full voting rights, upon their election. A…

§ 2317. Voters not to participate in more than one party A voter shall not vote in a town, county, or State caucus of more than one party in the same 12-month period, nor shall any voter simultaneously hold membership on the committees of more than one political party. (Added 197…

§ 2318. Organization of minor political parties A minor political party may organize in the manner set forth in this subchapter or in another manner that its members deem appropriate. Minor political parties shall comply with the filing requirements of sections 2307, 2311 to the …

§ 2319. Party conventions for platforms On or before the fourth Tuesday in September in each even-numbered year, upon the call of the chair of the State committee of the party, a party platform convention of each organized political party shall be held to make and adopt the platf…

§ 2321. Representative district committee The “representative district committee” of a party shall consist of those members of the town committee residing in a representative district. A representative district committee may encompass less than an entire town or may extend across…

§ 2322. Senatorial district committee The “senatorial district committee” of a party shall consist of those members of the county committee residing in a senatorial district. A senatorial district committee may encompass less than an entire county or may extend across county line…

§ 2323. Probate district committee The “probate district committee” of a party shall consist of those members of the county committee residing in a probate district. Such a committee shall elect its own officers when called upon to meet, but it need not meet unless required to pe…

§ 2351. Primary election A primary election shall be held on the second Tuesday in August in each even-numbered year for the nomination of candidates of major political parties for all offices to be voted for at the succeeding general election, except candidates for President and…

§ 2352. Nomination of candidates prior to special election When the Governor or any court, pursuant to law, orders a special election to be held for any of the offices covered by section 2351 of this title, a special primary election shall be held on the Tuesday that falls not le…

§ 2353. Petitions to place names on ballot (a) The name of any person shall be printed upon the primary ballot as a candidate for nomination by any major political party for the office indicated, if a petition containing the requisite number of signatures made by registered voter…

§ 2354. Signing petitions (a) Any number of voters may sign the same petition. (b)(1) A voter’s signature shall not be valid unless at the time he or she signs, the voter is registered and qualified to vote for the candidate whose petition he or she signs. (2) Each voter shall in…

§ 2355. Number of signatures required The number of signatures on primary petitions shall be not less than: (1) for State and congressional officers, 500; (2) for county officers or State senator, 100; and (3) for Representative to the General Assembly, 50. (Added 1977, No. 269 (…

§ 2356. Time for filing petitions (a) Primary petitions for major party candidates shall be filed not earlier than the fourth Monday in April and not later than 5:00 p.m. on the fourth Thursday after the first Monday in May preceding the primary election prescribed by section 235…

§ 2357. Place of filing petition (a) Primary petitions and consent forms shall be filed as follows: (1) For State and congressional officers, with the Secretary of State; (2) For county officers with the county clerk; (3) For State Senator, with the senatorial district clerk; (4)…

§ 2358. Examining petitions; supplementary petitions (a) The officer with whom primary petitions are filed shall examine them and ascertain whether they contain a sufficient number of legible signatures. The officer shall not attempt to ascertain whether there are a sufficient nu…

§ 2359. Notification to Secretary of State Within three days after the last day for filing petitions, all town and county clerks who have received petitions shall notify the Secretary of State of the names of all candidates, the offices for which they have filed, and whether each…

§ 2360. Preservation of petitions The Secretary of State and county and town clerks shall retain the primary petitions filed with them until 30 days following the general election for which they were used, at which time they may be destroyed. (Added 1977, No. 269 (Adj. Sess.), § …

§ 2361. Consent of candidate (a) A candidate for whom petitions containing sufficient valid signatures have been filed shall file with the official with whom the petitions were filed a consent to the printing of the candidate’s name on the ballot. The Secretary of State shall pre…

§ 2362. Primary ballots (a) A separate ballot for each major political party shall be printed and furnished to the towns by the Secretary of State and shall contain the names of all candidates for nomination by that party at the primary. Ballots shall be printed on index stock an…

§ 2363. Voter’s choice of party (a) A voter shall vote for the candidates of one party only. A person voting at the primary shall not be required to indicate his or her party choice to any election official. (b) [Repealed.] (Added 1977, No. 269 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1979, No…

§ 2368. Canvassing committee meetings After the primary election is conducted: (1) The canvassing committee for State and national offices and statewide public questions shall meet at 10:00 a.m. one week after the day of the election. (2) The canvassing committee for county offic…

§ 2369. Determining winner; tie votes (a) A person who receives a plurality of all the votes cast by a party in a primary shall be a candidate of that party for the office designated on the ballot. (b)(1) If, after the period for requesting a recount under section 2602 of this ti…

§ 2370. Write-in candidates (a)(1) In order to have votes listed for a write-in candidate under section 2587 of this title, not later than 5:00 p.m. on the Thursday preceding the primary election, a write-in candidate for the General Assembly, any State office, or any federal off…

§ 2371. Nominees; notice to nominees (a) The canvassing committee shall prepare and sign certificates of nomination and mail or deliver in person to each candidate nominated a notice of his or her nomination within two days after their meeting. On each certificate the canvassing …

§ 2381. Applicability of subchapter (a) A candidate may also be nominated and have the candidate’s name printed on the general election ballot in accordance with the provisions set forth in this subchapter, in the following instances: (1) In case of a vacancy on the general elect…

§ 2382. Which committee to nominate Nominations of party candidates pursuant to this subchapter shall be made by the following political committee of the party: (1) By the State committee in the case of President and Vice President of the United States or State or congressional o…

§ 2383. Notice of meetings The chair of the appropriate committee, or if the chair has not called a meeting then any three members of the committee, may set a date, time, and place for a committee meeting for the nomination of candidates pursuant to this subchapter and shall give…

§ 2384. Procedure upon meeting At the time and place set for the meeting, the committee shall proceed to nominate such candidates as it may desire pursuant to this subchapter. Nomination shall require a majority of those present and voting, and if no candidate shall have received…

§ 2385. Statement by committee officers; consent of candidate (a) When a nomination is made under the provisions of this subchapter, the chair and the secretary of the committee making the nomination shall file a statement of nomination in substantially the following form: “The .…

§ 2386. Time for filing statements (a) In the case of the failure of a major political party to nominate a candidate by primary, a statement shall be filed not later than 5:00 p.m. on the sixth day following the primary. (b) In the case of the death or withdrawal of a candidate a…

§ 2387. Place for filing statements Statements for the office of justice of the peace shall be filed with the town clerk. All other statements and consents shall be filed with the Secretary of State. (Added 1977, No. 269 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1979, No. 200 (Adj. Sess.), § 29…

§ 2401. Applicability of subchapter (a) A person may be nominated and have the person’s name printed on the general election ballot for any office by filing a consent similar in form to the consent prescribed by section 2361 of this title and a statement of nomination with the Se…

§ 2402. Requisites of statement (a) A statement of nomination shall contain: (1) The name of the office for which the nomination is made. (2) The candidate’s name and residence. (3) If desired, a name, or other identification (in not more than three words) to be printed on the ba…

§ 2403. Number of candidates; party names (a)(1) A statement of nomination shall contain the name of only one candidate, except in the case of presidential and vice presidential candidates, who may be nominated by means of the same statement of nomination. (2) A single statement …

§ 2404. Preservation of statements The Secretary of State shall preserve all statements until three months after the general election, after which they may be destroyed. (Added 1977, No. 269 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1979, No. 200 (Adj. Sess.), § 34; 1985, No. 196 (Adj. Sess.), …

§ 2411. Applicability of other law Except as specifically provided in this chapter, all other provisions of this title shall govern the several procedures specified in this chapter for the making of nominations. (Added 1977, No. 269 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)

§ 2412. Withdrawal of candidacy (a)(1) A candidate who has been validly nominated by one of the methods prescribed in this chapter shall have a right to withdraw his or her candidacy up until 5:00 p.m. on the tenth day following the primary by filing a written notice of withdrawa…

§ 2413. Nomination of justices of the peace (a)(1) The party members in each town, on or before the third Monday in July before each primary election, upon the call of the town committee, may meet in caucus and nominate candidates for justice of the peace. (2)(A) The committee sh…

§ 2414. Candidates for State and legislative office; disclosure form (a) Each candidate for State office, county office, State Senator, or State Representative shall file with the officer with whom consent of candidate forms are filed, along with the candidate’s consent, a disclo…

§ 2415. Failure to file; penalties (a) If any disclosure required of a candidate for State office, county office, State Senator, or State Representative by section 2414 of this title is not filed in the time and manner set forth in sections 2356, 2361, and 2402 of this title, the…

§ 2451. Board of civil authority (a) The board of civil authority shall have charge of the conduct of elections within the political subdivision for which it is elected. (b) At any time before an election, the board of civil authority may issue guidance for elections officials th…

§ 2452. Presiding officer (a) The town clerk shall be the presiding officer unless the town by vote at an annual meeting or by charter shall provide otherwise. If the regular presiding officer is unavailable or unable to preside at any given election, then the board of civil auth…