Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 87.djvu/817

 87 STAT. ]

PUBLIC LAW 93-198-DEC. 24, 1973

(c) The Board of Elections shall prescribe such rules as are necessary with respect to the distribution and signing of petitions and the holding of elections for ratifying amendments to title IV of this Act according to the procedures specified in subsection (a). (d) The amending procedure provided in this section may not be used to enact any law or affect any law with respect to which the Council may not enact any act, resolution, or rule under the limitations specified in sections 601,602, and 603.

'

785

^ ^°^*' PP- " 3. 814.

TITLE IV—THE DISTRICT CHARTER PART A — THE

COUNCIL

Subpart 1—Creation of the Council CREATION A N D MEMBERSHIP

SEC. 401. (a) There is established a Council of the District of ^f^bersl?"""*' Columbia; and the members of the Council shall be elected by the ""'"" ° " ^' registered qualified electors of the District. (b)(1) The Council established under subsection (a) shall consist of thirteen members elected on a partisan basis. The Chairman and four members shall be elected at large in the District, and eight members shall be elected one each from the eight election wards established, from time to time, under the District of Columbia Election Act. The 69 Stat. 699. D.C. Code term of office of the members of the Council shall be four years, except 1101 note. 1as provided in paragraph (3), and shall begin at noon on January 2 of the year following their election. (2) I n the case of the first election held for the office of member of the Council after the effective date of this title, not more than two of the at-large members (excluding the Chairman) shall be nominated by the same political party. Thereafter, a political party may nominate a number of candidates for the office of at-large member of the Council equal to one less than the total number of at-large members (excluding the Chairman) to be elected in such election. (3) Of the members first elected after the effective date of this title, the Chairman and two members elected at-large and four of the members elected from election wards shall serve for four-year terms; and two of the at-large members and four of the members elected from election wards shall serve for two-year terms. The members to serve the four-year terms and the members to serve the twoyear terms shall be determined by the Board of Elections by lot, except that not more than one of the at-large members nominated by any political party shall serve for any such four-year term. (c) The Council may establish and select such other officers and employees as it deems necessary and appropriate to carry out the functions of the Council. (d)(1) In the event of a vacancy in the Council of a member elected from a ward, the Board of Elections shall hold a special election in such ward to fill such vacancy on the first Tuesday occurring more than one hundred and fourteen days after the date on which such vacancy occurs, unless the Board of Elections determines that such vacancy could be more practicably filled in a special election held on the same day as the next general election to be held in the District occurring witliin sixty days of the date on which a special election would otherwise have been held under the provisions of this subsection. The person elected as a member to fill a vacancy on the Council shall take office on the day on which the Board of Elections certifies his election,

�