Bill Text: IA HF506 | 2015-2016 | 86th General Assembly | Introduced

Iowa House Bill 506 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: A bill for an act related to absentee ballot deadlines. (Formerly HSB 146)

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2016-01-13 - Subcommittee reassigned, Danielson, Courtney, and Schultz. S.J. 62. [HF506 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2015-HF506-Introduced.html

House File 506 - Introduced




                                 HOUSE FILE       
                                 BY  COMMITTEE ON STATE
                                     GOVERNMENT

                                 (SUCCESSOR TO HSB 146)

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act related to absentee ballot deadlines.
  2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 53.17, subsection 1, paragraph b, Code
  1  2 2015, is amended to read as follows:
  1  3    b.  The sealed return envelope may be mailed to the
  1  4 commissioner by the registered voter or by the voter's
  1  5 designee. If mailed by the voter's designee, the envelope
  1  6 must be mailed within seventy=two hours of retrieving it from
  1  7 the voter or within time to be postmarked not later than the
  1  8 day before the election received in the commissioner's office
  1  9 before the polls close on election day, whichever is earlier.
  1 10    Sec. 2.  Section 53.17, subsections 2 and 3, Code 2015, are
  1 11 amended to read as follows:
  1 12    2.  In order for the ballot to be counted, the return
  1 13 envelope must be received in the commissioner's office before
  1 14 the polls close on election day or be clearly postmarked by
  1 15 an officially authorized postal service not later than the
  1 16 day before the election and received by the commissioner not
  1 17 later than noon on the Monday following the election, except
  1 18 for ballots received from a member of the armed forces of the
  1 19 United States pursuant to subchapter II of this chapter, which
  1 20 must be received by noon on the day before the supervisors
  1 21 canvass the votes.
  1 22    3.  If the law authorizing the election specifies that
  1 23 the supervisors canvass the votes earlier than the Monday
  1 24 following the election, absentee ballots returned through the
  1 25 mail must be received not later than the time established for
  1 26 the canvass by the board of supervisors for that election.
  1 27  The commissioner shall contact the post office serving the
  1 28 commissioner's office at the latest practicable hour before
  1 29 the canvass by the board of supervisors 10:00 a.m. on the day
  1 30 before the board of supervisors canvass the votes for that
  1 31 election, and shall arrange for absentee ballots received in
  1 32 that post office but not yet delivered to the commissioner's
  1 33 office to be brought to the commissioner's office before the
  1 34 canvass for that election by the board of supervisors noon on
  1 35 that day.
  2  1    Sec. 3.  Section 53.17, subsection 4, paragraph f, Code 2015,
  2  2 is amended to read as follows:
  2  3    f.  A statement that the completed absentee ballot will
  2  4 be delivered to the commissioner's office within seventy=two
  2  5 hours of retrieving it from the voter or before the closing of
  2  6 the polls on election day, whichever is earlier, or that the
  2  7 completed absentee ballot will be mailed to the commissioner
  2  8 within seventy=two hours of retrieving it from the voter or
  2  9 within time to be postmarked not later than the day before the
  2 10 election received in the commissioner's office before the polls
  2 11 close on election day, whichever is earlier.
  2 12                           EXPLANATION
  2 13 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
  2 14 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly.
  2 15    This bill relates to absentee ballot deadlines. Under
  2 16 current law, an absentee ballot received by a county
  2 17 commissioner of elections is valid if it is received by the
  2 18 commissioner before the polls close on election day or if it is
  2 19 clearly postmarked by an officially authorized postal service
  2 20 not later than the day before the election and is received by
  2 21 the commissioner not later than noon on the Monday following
  2 22 the election. Under the bill, for an absentee ballot to be
  2 23 valid it must be received by the commissioner before the polls
  2 24 close on election day, unless the absentee ballot is completed
  2 25 by a military or overseas voter. The bill provides that for
  2 26 a military or overseas voter's ballot to be valid, it must be
  2 27 received by noon on the day before the supervisors canvass the
  2 28 votes.
  2 29    The bill makes additional corresponding changes.
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