Bill Text: IA HF2328 | 2015-2016 | 86th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to voter registration and voting by lowering the age at which a person may register to vote and the age at which a registered voter is eligible to vote in a primary election and including effective date provisions. (Formerly HF 2145)
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-03-18 - Rereferred to State Government. H.J. 507. [HF2328 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2015-HF2328-Introduced.html
House File 2328 - Introduced HOUSE FILE BY COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT (SUCCESSOR TO HF 2145) A BILL FOR 1 An Act relating to voter registration and voting by lowering 2 the age at which a person may register to vote and the age 3 at which a registered voter is eligible to vote in a primary 4 election and including effective date provisions. 5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: TLSB 5091HV (2) 86 aw/sc PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. Section 48A.5, subsection 2, paragraph c, Code 1 2 2016, is amended to read as follows: 1 3 c. (1) Be at least eighteen years of age. However, 1 4 for purposes of voting in the primary election, an eligible 1 5 elector shall be at least eighteen years of age on the date of 1 6 the respective general election or city election. Completed 1 7 registration forms shall be accepted from registrants who are 1 8 at least seventeenand one=halfyears of age; however,. For 1 9 an election other than a primary election, the registration 1 10 shall not be effective until the registrant reaches the age 1 11 of eighteen. The commissioner of registration shall ensure 1 12 that the birth date shown on the registration form is at 1 13 least seventeenand one=halfyears earlier than the date the 1 14 registration is processed. 1 15 (2) A registrant who is at least seventeenand one=half1 16 years of age and who will be eighteen by the date of a pending 1 17 election is a registered voter for the pending election for 1 18 purposes of chapter 53. For purposes of voting in a primary 1 19 election under chapter 53, a registrant who will be at least 1 20 eighteen years of age by the date of the respective general 1 21 election or city election is a registered voter for the pending 1 22 primary election. 1 23 Sec. 2. Section 48A.14, subsection 1, paragraph b, Code 1 24 2016, is amended to read as follows: 1 25 b. The challenged registrant is less than seventeenand 1 26 one=halfyears of age. 1 27 Sec. 3. Section 48A.23, subsection 1, Code 2016, is amended 1 28 to read as follows: 1 29 1. At least twice during each school year, the board of 1 30 directors of each school district operating a high school and 1 31 the authorities in charge of each accredited nonpublic school 1 32 shall offer the opportunity to register to vote to each student 1 33 who is at least seventeenand one=halfyears of age. 1 34 Sec. 4. Section 48A.26, subsection 9, Code 2016, is amended 1 35 to read as follows: 2 1 9. When a person who is at least seventeenand one=half2 2 years of age but less than eighteen years of age registers 2 3 to vote, the commissioner shall maintain a record of the 2 4 registration so as to clearly indicate that it will not take 2 5 effect until the registrant's eighteenth birthday and that the 2 6 person is registered and qualifies to vote at any election 2 7 held on or after that date. However, for purposes of voting 2 8 in a primary election, the registration shall take effect 2 9 immediately if the person will be at least eighteen years of 2 10 age on the date of the respective general election or city 2 11 election. 2 12 Sec. 5. Section 48A.31, Code 2016, is amended to read as 2 13 follows: 2 14 48A.31 Deceased persons record. 2 15 The state registrar of vital statistics shall transmit 2 16 or cause to be transmitted to the state registrar of voters, 2 17 once each calendar quarter, a certified list of all persons 2 18 seventeenand one=halfyears of age and older in the state 2 19 whose deaths have been reported to the bureau of vital records 2 20 of the Iowa department of public health since the previous list 2 21 of decedents was certified to the state registrar of voters. 2 22 The list shall be submitted according to the specifications 2 23 of the state registrar of voters. The commissioner shall, in 2 24 the month following the end of a calendar quarter, run the 2 25 statewide voter registration system's matching program to 2 26 determine whether a listed decedent was registered to vote in 2 27 the county and shall immediately cancel the registration of any 2 28 person named on the list of decedents. 2 29 Sec. 6. Section 49.79, subsection 2, paragraph b, Code 2016, 2 30 is amended to read as follows: 2 31 b.TheFor an election other than a primary election, the 2 32 challenged person is less than eighteen years of age as of the 2 33 date of the election at which the person is offering to vote. 2 34 For a primary election, the challenged person will be less than 2 35 eighteen years of age on the date of the respective general 3 1 election or city election. 3 2 Sec. 7. Section 49.81, subsection 4, paragraph a, Code 2016, 3 3 is amended to read as follows: 3 4 a. (1) The individual envelopes used for each provisional 3 5 ballot cast pursuant to subsection 1 shall have space for the 3 6 voter's name, date of birth, and address and shall have printed 3 7 on them the following: 3 8 I am a United States citizen, at least eighteen years of age 3 9 or, for purposes of voting in a primary election, I will be 3 10 at least eighteen years of age on the date of the respective 3 11 general election or the city election. I believe I am a 3 12 registered voter of this county and I am eligible to vote in 3 13 this election. 3 14 ............. 3 15 (signature of voter) (date) 3 16 (2) The following information is to be provided by the 3 17 precinct election official: 3 18 Reason for casting provisional ballot: 3 19 ................. 3 20 ................. 3 21 ........... 3 22 (signature of 3 23 precinct election 3 24 official) 3 25 Sec. 8. Section 280.9A, subsection 3, Code 2016, is amended 3 26 to read as follows: 3 27 3. At least twice during each school year, the board of 3 28 directors of each local public school district operating a 3 29 high school and the authorities in charge of each accredited 3 30 nonpublic school operating a high school shall offer the 3 31 opportunity to register to vote to each student who is at least 3 32 seventeenand one=halfyears of age, as required by section 3 33 48A.23. 3 34 Sec. 9. Section 602.8102, subsection 15, Code 2016, is 3 35 amended to read as follows: 4 1 15. Monthly, notify the county commissioner of registration 4 2 and the state registrar of voters of persons seventeenand 4 3 one=halfyears of age and older who have been convicted of a 4 4 felony during the preceding calendar month or persons who at 4 5 any time during the preceding calendar month have been legally 4 6 declared to be a person who is incompetent to vote as that term 4 7 is defined in section 48A.2. 4 8 Sec. 10. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect January 1, 4 9 2017. 4 10 EXPLANATION 4 11 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 4 12 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly. 4 13 This bill relates to voter registration and voting. 4 14 The bill allows a registered voter who is not 18 years of 4 15 age to vote in a primary election if the voter will be at least 4 16 18 years of age on the date of the general election. The bill 4 17 also allows an otherwise eligible elector to register to vote 4 18 at the age of 17. Current law allows an eligible elector who 4 19 is at least 17 and one=half years of age to register to vote, 4 20 but, except for purposes of requesting and voting an absentee 4 21 ballot, the registration does not become effective until the 4 22 registrant turns 18 years of age. The bill makes additional 4 23 conforming changes. 4 24 The bill takes effect January 1, 2017. LSB 5091HV (2) 86 aw/sc
