(a) Sections 100 and 104 of the Elections Code shall govern the signing of the petition and the format of the petition.
(b) A petition may consist of a single instrument or separate counterparts. The chief petitioner or petitioners shall file the petition, together with all counterparts, with the secretary of the district board. The secretary shall not accept a petition for filing unless the signatures have been secured within six months of the date on which the first signature was obtained and the chief petitioner or petitioners submitted the petition to the secretary for filing within 60 days after the last signature was obtained.