Bill Text: IA HF29 | 2015-2016 | 86th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act authorizing certain cities to conduct city elections by absentee ballot.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-01-20 - Subcommittee, Watts, Hein, and Kelley. H.J. 124. [HF29 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2015-HF29-Introduced.html
House File 29 - Introduced HOUSE FILE BY HUNTER A BILL FOR 1 An Act authorizing certain cities to conduct city elections by 2 absentee ballot. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: TLSB 1268HH (2) 86 aw/sc PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. Section 376.1, Code 2015, is amended to read as 1 2 follows: 1 3 376.1 City election held ==== absentee ballot elections 1 4 authorized. 1 5 1. A city shall hold a regular city election on the first 1 6 Tuesday after the first Monday in November of each odd=numbered 1 7 year. A city shall hold regular, special, primary, or runoff 1 8 city elections as provided by state law. 1 9 2. The mayor or council shall give notice of any special 1 10 election to the county commissioner of elections. The county 1 11 commissioner of elections shall publish notice of any city 1 12 election and conduct the election pursuant to the provisions of 1 13 chapters 39 to 53, except as otherwise specifically provided 1 14 in chapters 362 to 392. The results of any election shall be 1 15 canvassed by the county board of supervisors and certified 1 16 by the county commissioner of elections to the mayor and the 1 17 council of the city for which the election is held. 1 18 3. a. The council of a city with a population of two 1 19 hundred or less according to the most recent federal decennial 1 20 census may adopt an ordinance providing that elections be 1 21 conducted by absentee ballot. If the city council adopts 1 22 such an ordinance, the clerk shall notify the commissioner 1 23 of elections of the adoption of the ordinance, and the 1 24 commissioner shall mail an absentee ballot application form 1 25 by forwardable mail to each registered voter within the city 1 26 who is on active status pursuant to section 48A.37 no fewer 1 27 than twenty=five days before each regular city election or 1 28 special election for the city. The commissioner shall also 1 29 enclose a postage paid return envelope and a notice in the form 1 30 prescribed by the state commissioner informing the voter that 1 31 voting in person on election day will also be available at the 1 32 commissioner's office during the time the polls are open. The 1 33 commissioner may designate one additional site as an election 1 34 day polling place for a city that adopts an ordinance pursuant 1 35 to this subsection. The location of the additional polling 2 1 place shall be included in the notice to the voter. 2 2 b. The additional polling place designated under this 2 3 subsection is subject to the requirements of section 49.21 2 4 relating to accessibility to persons with disabilities 2 5 and relating to the posting of signs. The location of the 2 6 additional polling place shall be published by the county 2 7 commissioner of elections as required by section 49.53. 2 8 c. The provisions of chapter 53, insofar as applicable, 2 9 shall apply to absentee ballot elections authorized under this 2 10 subsection. 2 11 d. The county commissioner of elections conducting an 2 12 election pursuant to this subsection shall submit a report 2 13 to the state commissioner of elections within sixty days 2 14 following the election. The report shall include information 2 15 on the number of voters who were sent an absentee ballot, the 2 16 number of returned absentee ballots, the number of voters who 2 17 cast ballots at the county commissioner's office, whether 2 18 an additional site was made available as a polling place 2 19 on election day pursuant to paragraph "a", and, if such an 2 20 additional site was made available, the number of voters who 2 21 cast ballots at that site, and any obstacles encountered in the 2 22 voting process for the election. The state commissioner shall 2 23 submit a copy of the report to the chairpersons and ranking 2 24 members of the general assembly's standing committees on state 2 25 government within ten days following the receipt of the report. 2 26 EXPLANATION 2 27 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 2 28 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly. 2 29 This bill authorizes certain cities to conduct city 2 30 elections by absentee ballot. 2 31 The bill allows cities with populations of 200 or less to 2 32 adopt an ordinance providing that city elections be conducted 2 33 by absentee ballot. The bill requires the county commissioner 2 34 of elections responsible for conducting elections for such a 2 35 city to mail an absentee ballot application form by forwardable 3 1 mail to each active status registered voter within the city 3 2 no fewer than 25 days before each regular city election or 3 3 special election for that city. The bill requires that the 3 4 county commissioner of elections also enclose a postage paid 3 5 return envelope and a notice that in=person voting will also 3 6 be available at the county commissioner's office on the day of 3 7 the election and, if applicable, the location of the additional 3 8 polling place. The bill allows the county commissioner to 3 9 designate one additional election day polling place for such 3 10 cities. 3 11 The bill further requires the county commissioner of 3 12 elections to submit a report on the city election to the 3 13 state commissioner of elections within 60 days following the 3 14 city election. The bill further requires that the state 3 15 commissioner submit a copy of the report to the chairpersons 3 16 and ranking members of the general assembly's standing 3 17 committees on state government. LSB 1268HH (2) 86 aw/sc
