A municipal election is an election held to choose the members of a governing body for a municipality, such as a city or town. The members of the governing body are elected by the voters of the municipality. Municipal elections are conducted by a municipal election commission composed of three electors who must be residents of the municipality and who must be appointed by the municipal governing body. The commission is responsible for ensuring proper books of registration are provided for each ward or precinct, preparing and distributing ballots and election materials, appointing managers of election for each polling place, and otherwise supervising and conducting all municipal, special, and general elections. Municipal elections can be partisan or nonpartisan, and the methods of election can vary depending on the municipality. In nonpartisan elections, there is usually a primary election to reduce the field of candidates to two candidates for each position to be filled, if when the filing period closes there are more than two candidates for a single office or the number of candidates for a group of offices exceeds twice the number of positions to be filled. Municipal election commissioners and staff must complete training and certification programs as required by state law.