2016 New Port Richey Municipal Election Guidelines In Brief

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1 2016 New Port Richey Municipal Election Guidelines In Brief Election Dates Election Day is April 12, 2016 for two Councilmembers for New Port Richey City Council. Term of Office The Councilmember s term is three years, and (s)he may run for a total of three consecutive terms, or nine years in office. Then, they must take at least a 1-year hiatus from public office. Qualifying Period Qualifying week begins on Tuesday, February 9, 2016 at noon in the City Clerk s Office, and ends on Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at noon. No documents will be accepted after that time. Qualifying Requirements Residency Candidates for this office must be duly registered voters and residents within the corporate limits of the City of New Port Richey for at least six months prior to the election. Qualifying Documents Persons wishing to run for Councilmember of New Port Richey can receive their qualifying documents at the City Clerk s Office anytime Monday through Friday, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. They do not have to wait for the qualifying period to request and complete their documents. However, although they can submit their DS-DE 9 and DS-DE 84 (Appointment of Treasurer and Statement of Candidate) immediately and be registered into the Supervisor of Elections database, the Clerk cannot accept the rest of their qualifying documents until Tuesday, January 26, and cannot submit them until noon on February 9, Also, if a candidate chooses to be registered into the database prior to qualifying week, they must submit additional monthly Treasurer s Reports or face considerable fines. For these reasons, it is best to wait until the qualifying period to submit all documents. A few notes on the various forms: DS-DE 9, Appointment of Treasurer: Please remember that only your treasurer may sign campaign checks; if you designate another person as your treasurer but want to be able to sign campaign checks yourself, you will need to fill out a second DS-DE 9 designating yourself as "deputy treasurer". o Section 6: Write "New Port Richey City Council". o Section 7: Write "n/a". o Section 8: Write "n/a". DS-DE 84, Statement of Candidate: When you submit this form, you are verifying that you have been provided access to Florida Statutes Chapter 106, pertaining to elections. A hard copy of this chapter has been provided in your candidate guide.

2 DS-DE 25, Candidate Oath: Print your name EXACTLY as you wish it to appear on the ballot, including punctuation. The office is "New Port Richey City Council"; please write "n/a" in the sections for district, circuit, and group/seat number. See the instructions on the second side of the form for providing a phonetic pronunciation of your name for the audio ballot. DS-DE 2, Contributions Returned: Use this form for any contributions you receive but do not wish to accept from the donor. Qualifying Fee (Election Assessment) The qualifying fee is 1% of the councilmember s annual salary of $3,600.00, or $ This can be withdrawn from the campaign account. Campaigning Campaign Checks Although it is no longer necessary for your checks to state "(name of candidate) Campaign Account", it is still advisable to do so, to ensure that any withdrawals you make are being made from your campaign account as opposed to your personal account. The only withdrawal that must be made from your personal account is a check for any fines or penalties you may incur, for example, for filing a late treasurer's report. According to the Division of Elections, you may not use cashier's checks for any expenditure except petition verification, and New Port Richey does not require you to petition to have your name placed on the ballot. Signage Campaign signage and handbill distribution within the corporate limits of New Port Richey are regulated by New Port Richey's municipal code. A code enforcement fine is imposed upon those persons distributing signage and handbills within City limits without filing an application with the City Clerk. Copies of the political sign and handbill applications are enclosed. Signage Requirements A completed sign application, $100 refundable sign bond, and a $50 non-refundable administrative fee is required to place political signage within City limits. The following guidelines apply to signage: 1. Your signs must be placed on private property. They cannot be on public property (parks, etc.) or in the public right-of-way (streets, sidewalks, and the grass strip between the street and the sidewalk). 2. Your sign bond guarantees that you will remove your signage within 3 days after the election. Upon return of the affidavit (supplied to you along with your application) stating that you have removed your signage, your bond is returned to you. 3. If you are paying for the political signage, it must contain the following disclaimer: a. Political advertisement paid for and approved by (name of candidate), nonpartisan, for (office sought) OR b. Paid by (name of candidate), nonpartisan, for (office sought)" Fundraisers Fundraiser advertising and tickets must also state the disclaimer shown above.

3 Handbill Requirements Upon returning the completed handbill application to the Clerk's Office, please make copies of the license for yourself and your agents, so that you/they may carry it with them when distributing handbills. Please remember the following guidelines: 1. You can offer your handbills to passersby, but if refused, you cannot continue the contact. 2. You can solicit door-to-door, but if refused, you cannot continue the contact. 3. If no one is at home, you may leave your handbill at the residence, ensuring it is placed in such a way so as to not blow away or scatter - doorknob hangers are an excellent solution, or you can place the handbill inside the screen door. 4. Mailboxes and posts are Federal property, so you cannot place your handbill in or on a mailbox, or on a mailbox post. 5. You cannot leave your handbills on parked cars (e.g., under the windshield wiper, on car windows, or any other location on a parked car). Donations and Contributions For each election, municipal candidates can receive up to $1,000 per individual donor, of which a maximum of $50.00 can be in cash or cashier's check. Money orders and traveler's checks are not considered cash contributions. Maximum political committee donations are $1, If you receive a donation from an entity and you do not wish to accept their donation, fill out Form DS-DE 2 (Contributions Returned), provided in your candidate guide. PLEASE NOTE: DO NOT accept political donations before you have selected your treasurer and are registered into the Supervisor of Elections database. There is a $1,000 penalty per count of accepting political contributions prior to registration. Any contribution received by a candidate, their treasurer, or their deputy treasurer less than five days prior to the election (on or after April 7, 2016) must be returned. Once a candidate becomes unopposed, elected, eliminated, or withdraws, the individual may only expend funds for the following: Purchase thank-you advertising (for up to 75 days). Pay for obligated items. Pay for expenditures necessary to close down the campaign office and to prepare the final report. Pay themselves back, in full or in part, for any contributions contributed to their own campaign. Treasurer's Reports Treasurer's reports can be filed online at pascovotes.com. The Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Office will notify you when your DS-DE 9 and your DS-DE 84 (Appointment of Treasurer and Statement of Candidate) have been processed, and you can begin signing onto the online reporting system and accepting contributions. Reports must be filed monthly, and are filed by the 10th of the month for the preceding month. (For example, your report filed by March 10 would cover the time period from February 1 through February 29, 2016.) In addition to the monthly filing requirements, reports must also be filed by the 25th, 11th, and 4th day previous to Election Day (March 18, April 1, and April 8, 2016) and finally, a Termination Report must be filed at the end of the election period (May 16,

4 2016 for unopposed candidates, and July 11, 2016 for opposed candidates). There are very heavy penalties for not filing on time, so please be sure you do so. Surplus Campaign Funds When the election period is over, surplus campaign funds may be disposed of in a number of ways, or combinations thereof: Return contributions pro rata to each contributor. Donate funds to a charitable organization or an organization that meets the qualifications of s. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Give funds to the municipality's general revenue fund. Give funds to the candidate s political party or political committee. (The new law limits the amount given to the party to not more than $25,000.) For those candidates who were elected, transfer funds to an office account. Funds may only be used for legitimate expenses in connection with public office, such as: o Travel o Personal taxes payable on office account funds o Expenses incurred in operation of the office o CPA or attorney services for preparation of financial disclosure filing o Costs for holiday cards or newsletters to constituents regarding official business, but may be not be a political advertisement o Fees or dues to religious, civic, or charitable orgs to which officer is a member o Items of modest value for use at a constituent s special event or family occasion o Personal expenses of officer attending a constituent event where public policy is discussed (limited to 1 per week) Documentation When the election period is over, an elected candidate's campaign documentation must be kept for the length of their term. Election Day and Times Election Day is April 12, The polls are open from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. Polling Location New Port Richey has one polling location for municipal elections: the Recreation and Aquatic Center at 6630 Van Buren Street. A secondary location, the City Hall Administration Office, is available for absentee voting. City Hall cannot accept ballots on Election Day. Non-Solicitation Zone Candidates and their agents cannot solicit prospective voters within 100 feet of the polling place or absentee voting place entrance. If the area in question is private property beyond the 100-foot limit, the property owner has the right to state whether or not they choose to allow campaign solicitation.

5 Poll Watchers A candidate for office is entitled, upon written application to the election authorities at least ten (10) days before election, to appoint persons to represent them as watchers at each polling place. One representative at a time may be within the polling room to observe the conduct of voters and officials. The watcher must be a registered voter, and may not display campaign materials or party affiliation. Additionally, they may not interfere with or assist voters, or come any closer to the officials' table or voting booths than is reasonably necessary. Absentee Ballots City residents who do not expect to be available to vote at the polling place on Election Day can fill in an absentee ballot at the Clerk's Office from March 11, 2016 until April 11, 2016 (the day before Election Day). No absentee ballots are accepted at City Hall on Election Day. Tabulating the Votes Ballots are collected by the Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Office after 7:00 pm on Election Day, and are counted. Unofficial Election Results Unofficial election results are relayed to the City Clerk's Office, and are posted in City Hall as soon as they are received. Certified Election Results Certified election results are relayed to the City Clerk's Office, and are posted in City Hall and transmitted to the media as soon as they are received. Effective Date of Office The candidate's effective first day of office is the Regular City Council Meeting immediately following reception of the certified election results. For 2016, that day is April 19. Oath of Office At the Regular Council Meeting for April 19, 2016, the newly-elected councilmembers are sworn in by the City Clerk and take their place on the dais. A Deputy Mayor is selected, as are Council representatives to the following organizations: Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization, Pasco County Tourism Board, Pasco Economic Development Council Board, Tampa Bay Regional Planning Board, and Tampa Bay Water.