Bill Text: IA HF2221 | 2017-2018 | 87th General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to the absentee voting period.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 23-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-02-06 - Subcommittee: Rizer, Koester and Winckler. H.J. 217. [HF2221 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2017-HF2221-Introduced.html

---

House File 2221 - Introduced




                                 HOUSE FILE       
                                 BY  MASCHER, HUNTER,
                                     KACENA, NIELSEN, R.
                                     SMITH, JACOBY, OLSON,
                                     KRESSIG, FORBES,
                                     McCONKEY,
                                     WESSEL=KROESCHELL,
                                     BROWN=POWERS, GAINES,
                                     ANDERSON, GASKILL,
                                     OLDSON, WINCKLER,
                                     LENSING, KURTH, STAED,
                                     KEARNS, T. TAYLOR, and
                                     BRECKENRIDGE

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to the absentee voting period.
  2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
    TLSB 5694YH (3) 87
    ss/jh

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 53.8, subsection 1, paragraph a,
  1  2 unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2018, is amended to read as
  1  3 follows:
  1  4    Upon receipt of an application for an absentee ballot
  1  5 and immediately after the absentee ballots are printed,
  1  6 but not more than twenty=nine days before the election, the
  1  7 commissioner shall mail an absentee ballot to the applicant
  1  8 within twenty=four hours, except as otherwise provided in
  1  9 subsection 3. The absentee ballot shall be sent to the
  1 10 registered voter by one of the following methods:
  1 11    Sec. 2.  Section 53.10, subsection 1, Code 2018, is amended
  1 12 to read as follows:
  1 13    1.  Not more than twenty=nine forty=five days before the
  1 14 date of the primary election or the general election, the
  1 15 commissioner shall provide facilities for absentee voting in
  1 16 person at the commissioner's office. This service shall also
  1 17 be provided for other elections as soon as the ballots are
  1 18 ready, but in no case shall absentee ballots be available under
  1 19 this section more than twenty=nine forty=five days before an
  1 20 election.
  1 21    Sec. 3.  Section 53.11, subsection 1, paragraph a, Code 2018,
  1 22 is amended to read as follows:
  1 23    a.  Not more than twenty=nine forty=five days before the
  1 24 date of an election, satellite absentee voting stations may be
  1 25 established throughout the cities and county at the direction
  1 26 of the commissioner and shall be established upon receipt
  1 27 of a petition signed by not less than one hundred eligible
  1 28 electors requesting that a satellite absentee voting station
  1 29 be established at a location to be described on the petition.
  1 30 However, if a special election is scheduled in the county on a
  1 31 date that falls between the date of the regular city election
  1 32 and the date of the city runoff election, the commissioner is
  1 33 not required to establish a satellite absentee voting station
  1 34 for the city runoff election.
  1 35    Sec. 4.  Section 53.42, Code 2018, is amended to read as
  2  1 follows:
  2  2    53.42  Voting in person in commissioner's office.
  2  3    Notwithstanding the provision as to time found in section
  2  4 53.10, any qualified voter in the armed forces of the United
  2  5 States may personally appear in the office of the commissioner
  2  6 of the county of the voter's residence and there vote an absent
  2  7 voter's ballot at any time not earlier than forty forty=five
  2  8  days before the primary or general election, as the case may
  2  9 be.
  2 10                           EXPLANATION
  2 11 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
  2 12 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly.
  2 13    This bill changes the start of the absentee voting period
  2 14 from not more than 29 days before the date of an election to not
  2 15 more than 45 days before the date of an election. The bill also
  2 16 changes the start of the absentee voting period for qualified
  2 17 voters in the armed forces from not more than 40 days before
  2 18 the date of an election to not more than 45 days before the date
  2 19 of an election.
       LSB 5694YH (3) 87
       ss/jh