Iowa-2015-HF506-Introduced
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:
TLSB 2058HV (1) 86
aw/sc
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.
LSB 2058HV (1) 86
aw/sc