Bill Text: IA HF2016 | 2017-2018 | 87th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: A bill for an act concerning the regulation of elections by establishing requirements for election to public office, assessing election costs to candidates, and affecting vote tabulations for public referenda.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-16 - Subcommittee: Highfill, Hunter and Koester. H.J. 104. [HF2016 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2017-HF2016-Introduced.html

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House File 2016 - Introduced




                                 HOUSE FILE       
                                 BY  HUNTER

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act concerning the regulation of elections by establishing
  2    requirements for election to public office, assessing
  3    election costs to candidates, and affecting vote tabulations
  4    for public referenda.
  5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  39.28  Votes required for election.
  1  2    1.  A candidate for public office shall not be elected to the
  1  3 office who has not received a number of votes equal to at least
  1  4 half the number of registered voters eligible to cast a ballot
  1  5 for the office.
  1  6    2.  If no candidate for a public office receives the number
  1  7 of votes required for election pursuant to subsection 1, a
  1  8 runoff election shall be held between the two candidates for
  1  9 the office who received the highest number of votes. The
  1 10 candidate who receives the highest number of votes in the
  1 11 runoff election shall be elected.
  1 12    Sec. 2.  Section 47.3, subsections 1 and 2, Code 2018, are
  1 13 amended to read as follows:
  1 14    1.  The costs of conducting a special election called by
  1 15 the governor, general election, and the primary election held
  1 16 prior to the general election shall be paid proportionally,
  1 17 as determined by the state commissioner of elections, by the
  1 18 county each candidate or candidate's committee, as defined in
  1 19 section 68A.102, included on the ballot.
  1 20    2.  The cost of conducting other elections shall be paid
  1 21 by the political subdivision for which the election is held
  1 22  each candidate or candidate's committee, as defined in section
  1 23 68A.102. The costs shall include but not be limited to the
  1 24 printing of the ballots and the election register, publication
  1 25 of notices, printing of declaration of eligibility affidavits,
  1 26 compensation for precinct election boards, canvass materials,
  1 27 and the preparation and installation of voting equipment. The
  1 28 county commissioner of elections shall certify to the county
  1 29 board of supervisors a statement of cost for an election. The
  1 30 cost shall be assessed proportionally by the county board of
  1 31 supervisors against the political subdivision for which the
  1 32 election was held each candidate or candidate's committee, as
  1 33 defined in section 68A.102, included on the ballot.
  1 34    Sec. 3.  Section 47.3, Code 2018, is amended by adding the
  1 35 following new subsection:
  2  1    NEW SUBSECTION.  5.  The costs of runoff elections shall be
  2  2 paid by the candidates included on the ballot.
  2  3    Sec. 4.  NEW SECTION.  49A.12  Failure to vote tabulated as a
  2  4 "no" vote.
  2  5    When a public measure or constitutional amendment is
  2  6 submitted to a general election pursuant to section 49A.4, a
  2  7 constitutional amendment is submitted to a special election
  2  8 pursuant to section 49A.5, or the question of holding a
  2  9 constitutional convention is submitted to a general or special
  2 10 election pursuant to Article X, section 3 of the Constitution
  2 11 of the State of Iowa, a registered voter who does not cast
  2 12 a ballot on the measure, amendment, or convention shall be
  2 13 counted as having voted against the measure, amendment, or
  2 14 convention.
  2 15                           EXPLANATION
  2 16 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
  2 17 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly.
  2 18    This bill requires that a candidate for any public office
  2 19 receive votes equal to at least half the number of registered
  2 20 voters eligible to cast a ballot for that office in order to be
  2 21 elected. If no candidate for an office meets this requirement,
  2 22 the bill requires that a runoff election be held between the
  2 23 two candidates who received the highest number of votes.
  2 24    The bill requires candidates or their candidates' committees
  2 25 to pay the costs of administering any elections in which
  2 26 they participate. Any runoff elections must be paid for
  2 27 by the candidates personally. The bill also requires that
  2 28 any registered voter who does not cast a ballot on a public
  2 29 measure, constitutional amendment, or constitutional convention
  2 30 be counted as having voted against that measure, amendment, or
  2 31 convention.
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