City of Irving Municipal Election May 1, 2021
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City of Irving Municipal Election May 1, 2021 Candidate Packets Instructions, Information, Forms and Guidelines IRVINGTEXAS For the purpose of electing City Council Members Place 4, Place 6, and Place 8 Candidate Information Packets TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Letter from the City Secretary (Lavender) 2. Listing of Important Dates 3. Memo Regarding Financial Reporting 4. 2021 Filing Schedule for Reports Due 5. Electronic Filing Policy 6. Form for Application for a Place on the Ballot (Gray) 7. Petition for a Place on the Ballot (White) 8. District Map 9. Texas Ethics Commission Campaign Guidelines, Forms & Instructions a. CTA & CTA Guidelines- Appointment of Campaign Treasurer (Green) b. C/OH & C/OH Guidelines- Campaign Finance Report (Yellow) c. Code of Fair Campaign Practices & The Fair Campaign Practices Act (Blue) d. PFS & PFS Guidelines- Personal Financial Statement (Ivory) e. First Steps for Candidates Running for a City office f. Guide to Local Filing Authority’s Duties Under the Campaign Finance Law g. Political Advertising- “What you Need to Know” 10. Temporary Signs Guidelines, Irving Code Enforcement Department 11. City of Irving Code of Ethics 12. City of Irving Charter If you should have questions or need additional forms from the Secretary of State visit their website at: http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/index.shtml or call 800.252.8683 The Texas Ethics Commission’s role is to guide the candidate in meeting the requirements of Title 15 of the Texas Election Code, Regulating Political Funds/Campaign. Staff attorneys are available to answer financial disclosure questions and may be contacted at 512.463.5800. You may also go to www.ethics.state.tx.us for additional information. Please do not hesitate contact assistance to me if I may be of to you. (If you have filed for office in the past, please note that many of the forms have been revised.) General Election May 1,2021 IRVINGTEXAS January 4, 2021 Dear Prospective Candidate: Thank you for taking the first step in consideration of a position for public office with the City of Irving. Your candidacy entails the obligation to comply with certain applicable state statutes, charter provisions have prepared this “Candidate and local ordinances. In an effort to assist you with these requirements, I read Packet” with necessary forms, pertinent information and basic instructions. You are encouraged to this letter and the enclosed material carefully prior to filling out any forms or filing for office. Election. This year the positions of Council Place 4, Place 6 and Place 8 will be elected in the General the Places 4 and 6 represent “single-member” districts, which require that the candidate live within allow the boundaries of the district in which they plan to run. Place 8 is an “at large” position which will candidate to reside anywhere within the city limits of the City of Irving. A candidate must be a resident prior of the City and of their district in which they intend to run for at least twelve (12) months immediately to Election Day. The following pages provide requirements for filing for “at large” and “single-member” districts. Please adhere to these requirements in order to qualify as a candidate. A City of Irving Council 4 District map has also been provided to be used to determine the residency requirement for Places and 6. applicable to campaigning for office. It is the candidate’s responsibility to become familiar with the laws City Secretary This office will advise you of upcoming filing dates upon request; however, the role of the statements, and noting is limited to accepting and filing the various forms, applications, affidavits, and/or the date and time of the filing thereon. This office should not be expected to comment upon the timeliness or sufficiency of reports filed. Should you have any questions regarding reporting procedures, contributions, or expenditures, please call the Texas Ethics Commission at 512.463.5800, or visit www.ethics.state.tx.us. Additionally, all complaints, concerns and violations regarding campaign practices should be reported to the Texas Ethics Commission, and not your local municipality. Signage Division, Code in violation of municipal ordinances may be reported to the Irving Code Enforcement Enforcement Director, Teresa Adrian, at 972.721.2320. You may direct questions about election laws to the Secretary of State at 800.252.8683 or 512.463.5650, or visit www.sos.state.tx.us. and will The filing period for a place on the May 1, 2021 ballot begins Wednesday, January 13, 2021 continue through Friday, February 12, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. The City Secretary’s regular office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am. to 5:00 p.m. Due to COVID-19, filing may be submitted in person by Secretary’s Office. The City Secretary’s Office calling 972.72 1 .2493 to make an appointment with the City by mail to City staff will come down to meet you and accept the forms. You may also file your forms Secretary’s Office, 825 W. Irving Blvd., Irving, TX 75060; or by email to senningscityofirving.org; these documents must be received by 5 p.m. on the deadline date. Please accept this letter as notification that the drawing for the order of names to be placed on the ballot Room at Irving City will be held on Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. in the Council Conference to attend this Hall located at 825 W. Irving Boulevard. As a candidate, you are invited and encouraged 2 General Election May 1,2021 drawing or send a representative in your place. We kindly ask that you be prepared to submit a high resolution digital photo at this time for use in city publications. Below, I have provided a brief explanation of each form contained within the candidate packet. Please ensure that all candidate forms are notarized prior to submission. The City Secretary’s Office staff will not notarize candidate forms. Please place all candidate forms in a sealed envelope and submit it to the City Secretary’s Office during the filing period. For your convenience, an envelope has been provided with the candidate packet. *Please note that the forms you must submit when you file for office are listed below. These forms will not be accepted if they are not notarized in advance. *1. The application for a place on the City of Irving ballot (notary required); *2. Petitions for filing for a place on the City of Irving ballot (notary required); and *3 The Form CTA- Appointment of a Campaign Treasurer by a Candidate 4. Code of Fair Campaign Practices Form (CFCP) -- (Recommended but not required) Following are explanations of the forms contained within the packet: Application for a Place on the General Election Ballot (bilingual) (Gray) — Each candidate must file this form with the Office of the City Secretary in order to have their name placed on the ballot. This form must be filed during regular business hours, no earlier than 8:00 am., Wednesday, January 13, 2021, and no later than 5:00 p.m., Friday, February 12, 2021. There is no filing fee. Each application and accompanying petitions will be reviewed to determine whether they comply with the Election Code requirements as to form, content and procedure. Please file your application and petitions as soon as practicable to allow sufficient time for review. Copies of your submitted forms must be made by the candidate prior to filing with the City Secretary’s Office. Your application will be posted on the city’s website once you become a qualified candidate. Pursuant to Government Code Sec. 552.101, dates of birth will be redacted and you will be given the option to protect your phone numbers and email addresses. We do suggest having a contact number or email address open to the public, as we point to the application online when asked by citizens on how to reach candidates. Petition for Filing for a Place on the General Election Ballot (bilingual) (White) — Article IV, Sec. 3(b) of the Home Rule Charter states that “A person wishing to become a candidate for mayor or place on the city council shall be placed on the official ballot upon the sworn application of the candidate and the signatures of at least twenty-five (25) voters of the city or one-half of one percent of the total vote received in the territory from which the office is elected by all candidates for mayor in the most recent mayoral general election, whichever is greater, which the candidate shall swear as being true and correct signatures of those signing the application...” For Place 8 the required number of signatures is 330 and may be obtained from anywhere in the City. For Place 4 the required number of signatures is 52 from within said district. For Place 6 the required number of signatures is 66 from within said district. Candidates are encouraged to get at least 10% more than the required number of signatures. You will not be able to make modifications to the application for a place on the ballot form, and you will not be allowed to supplement your petition after it is filed in this office. All petitions must be submitted at the same time upon filing. 3 General Election May 1,2021 Forms filed which are illegible or are incomplete will be considered insufficient. Please proof-read all documents before submitting them to the City Secretary’s Office for review. Upon submission of your application for a place on the baflot and petitions, they become the possession of the City of Irving.