The nominating petitions of all candidates required to be filed before four p.m. of the day before the day of the primary election immediately preceding the general election shall be processed as follows:

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If such petition is filed with the secretary of state, the secretary of state shall, not later than the fifteenth day of June following the filing of such petition, or if the primary election was a presidential primary election, not later than the end of the sixth week after the day of that election, transmit to each board such separate petition papers as purport to contain signatures of electors of the county of such board. If such petition is filed with the board of the most populous county of a district or of a county in which the major portion of the population of a subdivision is located, such board shall, not later than the fifteenth day of June, or if the primary election was a presidential primary election, not later than the end of the sixth week after the day of that election, transmit to each board within such district such separate petition papers of the petition as purport to contain signatures of electors of the county of such board.

All petition papers so transmitted to a board and all nominating petitions filed with a board shall, under proper regulations, be open to public inspection from the fifteenth day of June until four p.m. of the thirtieth day of that month, or if the primary election was a presidential primary election, from the end of the sixth week after the election until four p.m. of the end of the seventh week after the election. Each board shall, not later than the next fifteenth day of July, or if the primary election was a presidential primary election, not later than the end of the tenth week after the day of that election, examine and determine the sufficiency of the signatures on the petition papers transmitted to or filed with it, and the validity of the petitions filed with it, and shall return to the secretary of state all petition papers transmitted to it by the secretary of state, together with its certification of its determination as to the validity or invalidity of signatures thereon, and shall return to each other board all petition papers transmitted to it by such other board, as provided in this section, together with its certification of its determination as to the validity or invalidity of signatures thereon. A signature on a nominating petition is not valid if it is dated more than one year before the date the nominating petition was filed. All other matters affecting the validity or invalidity of such petition papers shall be determined by the secretary of state or the board with whom such petition papers were filed.

Written protests against nominating petitions may be filed by any qualified elector eligible to vote for the candidate whose nominating petition the elector objects to, not later than four p.m. of the thirtieth day of July, or if the primary election was a presidential primary election, not later than the end of the twelfth week after the day of that election. Such protests shall be filed with the election officials with whom the nominating petition was filed. Upon the filing of such protest, the election officials with whom it is filed shall promptly fix the time and place for hearing it, and shall forthwith mail notice of the filing of such protest and the time and place for hearing it to the person whose nomination is protested. They shall also forthwith mail notice of the time and place fixed for the hearing to the person who filed the protest. At the time fixed, such election officials shall hear the protest and determine the validity or invalidity of the petition. Such determination shall be final.

A protest against the nominating petition filed by joint candidates for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor shall be filed, heard, and determined in the same manner as a protest against the nominating petition of a candidate who files individually.