(a) On a written petition signed by a number of voters equal to at least 8% of the total votes cast for candidates for Governor in the preceding gubernatorial election by the registered voters of the municipality, township, county or school district, it shall be the duty of the proper election officers to submit any question of public policy so petitioned for, to the electors of such political subdivision at any regular election named in the petition at which an election is scheduled to be held throughout such political subdivision under Article 2A. Such petitions shall be filed with the local election official of the political subdivision or election authority, as the case may be. Where such a question is to be submitted to the voters of a municipality which has adopted Article 6, or a township or school district located entirely within the jurisdiction of a municipal board of election commissioners, such petitions shall be filed with the board of election commissioners having jurisdiction over the political subdivision.
     (b) In a municipality with more than 1,000,000 inhabitants, when a question of public policy exclusively concerning a contiguous territory included entirely within but not coextensive with the municipality is initiated by resolution or ordinance of the corporate authorities of the municipality, or by a petition which may be signed by registered voters who reside in any part of any precinct all or part of which includes all or part of the territory and who equal in number to at least 8% of the total votes cast for candidates for Governor in the preceding gubernatorial election by the voters of the precinct or precincts in the territory where the question is to be submitted to the voters, it shall be the duty of the election authority having jurisdiction over such municipality to submit such question to the electors throughout each precinct all or part of which includes all or part of the territory at the regular election specified in the resolution, ordinance or petition initiating the public question. A petition initiating a public question described in this subsection shall be filed with the election authority having jurisdiction over the municipality. A resolution, ordinance or petition initiating a public question described in this subsection shall specify the election at which the question is to be submitted.
     (c) Local questions of public policy authorized by this Section and statewide questions of public policy authorized by Section 28-9 shall be advisory public questions, and no legal effects shall result from the adoption or rejection of such propositions.
     (d) This Section does not apply to a petition filed pursuant to Article IX of the Liquor Control Act of 1934.