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<section article="gel" article_name="Election Law" number="5-1003" title_number="5" title_name="Candidates" subtitle_number="10" subtitle_name="Filling Vacancies in Nomination After a Primary Election">
  <level label="a">
    <text>This section applies to a vacancy in nomination for Representative in Congress, State Senator, or member of the House of Delegates, if the district includes more than one county.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <level label="1">
      <text>A vacancy in nomination under this section that occurs because the nominee dies, withdraws the candidacy, or is disqualified for any reason shall be filled by:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>a vote of the central committees of the political party in each of the counties included in the district of that nominee; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>a State central committee for a nonprincipal political party that does not have local central committees.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The central committee of each county shall cast a vote that is proportionate to its share of the total registered voters in that district as reported in the most recent statistical report by the State Board and promptly notify its State central committee of the results of its vote.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <level label="i">
        <text>If no person receives a majority of the votes cast under paragraph (2) of this subsection, or if there is a tie vote by the central committees, the vacancy in nomination shall be filled by the State central committee.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>In the event of a tie vote, the nominee selected by the State central committee shall be one of the candidates involved in the tie.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Following the declination of the nominee, by the 88th day before the general election:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>the State central committee shall file a certificate of designation for the nominee with the State Board; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>the successor nominee designated by the State central committee under item (i) of this paragraph shall file a certificate of candidacy with the State Board.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>Following the death or disqualification of the nominee, by the 81st day before the general election:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>the State central committee shall file a certificate of designation for the nominee with the State Board; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>the successor nominee designated by the State central committee under item (i) of this paragraph shall file a certificate of candidacy with the State Board.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
