A. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, elections for members of the governing body or school board of any county, city, or town that would be held on a regularly scheduled date for a general election, but are delayed because the decennial redistricting plan of such county, city, or town is not precleared by the Attorney General of the United States pursuant to § 5 of the federal Voting Rights Act at least thirty days prior to the general election, shall be held as provided in this section, unless otherwise provided by a court of competent jurisdiction. In the event the Attorney General grants preclearance at least thirty days prior to the general election, the election shall be held as scheduled and shall be conducted from the newly established districts. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any county, city, or town election scheduled to be held entirely on an at-large basis.
B. In each such county, city, or town, such election shall be held on the first Tuesday (i) that is more than sixty days after the Attorney General of the United States issues a letter stating that he interposes no objection to a decennial redistricting plan approved and submitted by the county, city, or town; (ii) that is not the scheduled date of a primary election; and (iii) that is not within the sixty days before or the thirty-five days after a primary or general election.
C. Independent candidates for such rescheduled elections shall qualify in the manner provided by §§ 24.2-505 and 24.2-506, and party nominees shall be nominated and certified at least thirty days before the new election date.
D. All candidates shall file the statements required by §§ 24.2-501 and 24.2-502 at least thirty days before the new election date.
E. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections C and D, any candidate who qualified to have his name printed on the ballot for the original election date, pursuant to § 24.2-504, shall be automatically qualified to have his name printed on the ballot for the delayed election date and shall not have to refile the required documents, provided that the boundaries of the district in which he is seeking office are the same as when he was originally qualified. In any district in which the boundaries have been changed, candidates shall requalify for the ballot; however, at the request of any candidate who filed as an independent, his original petitions shall be reviewed by the registrar, previously verified signatures of voters who reside in the new district shall be counted toward the number needed to qualify to run in the new district, and the candidate may supplement such petitions when he refiles under § 24.2-505.
F. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the term of members of any governing body or school board elected under the provisions of this act shall commence on the first day of the second month following the election and shall terminate on the day on which the term would have expired had the general election been held on its regularly scheduled day.
G. The term of members of any governing body affected by this act that would otherwise expire prior to the commencement of the term of their successors elected pursuant to this section shall be extended until the date that the term of members elected pursuant to this section commences, notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary.
2002, c. 189.