Bill Text: IA HF71 | 2021-2022 | 89th General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to an agreement among the states to elect the president by national popular vote.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-01-14 - Introduced, referred to State Government. H.J. 104. [HF71 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2021-HF71-Introduced.html
House File 71 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 71 BY KONFRST A BILL FOR An Act relating to an agreement among the states to elect the 1 president by national popular vote. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 1435YH (1) 89 ss/jh
H.F. 71 Section 1. Section 50.45, Code 2021, is amended to read as 1 follows: 2 50.45 Canvass public —— result determined. 3 1. All canvasses of tally lists shall be public, and the 4 persons having the greatest number of votes shall be declared 5 elected , except that in any year in which the appointment of 6 presidential electors is governed by the national popular vote 7 compact set forth in section 54.10, the persons that shall be 8 declared elected to the position of presidential elector shall 9 be the persons specified in the national popular vote compact . 10 2. When a public measure has been submitted to the electors, 11 the proposition shall be declared to have been adopted if 12 the vote cast in favor of the question is greater than fifty 13 percent of the total vote cast in favor and against the 14 question, unless laws pertaining specifically to the public 15 measure election establish a higher percentage of a favorable 16 vote. All ballots cast and not counted as a vote in favor or 17 against the proposition shall not be used in computing the 18 total vote cast in favor and against the proposition. 19 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION . 54.10 Agreement among the states to 20 elect the president by national popular vote. 21 The agreement among the states to elect the president by 22 national popular vote may be cited as the “National Popular Vote 23 Compact” . The national popular vote compact is entered into 24 and enacted into law with each other state that has enacted the 25 compact in substantially the following form: 26 1. Article I —— Membership. Any state of the United States 27 and the District of Columbia may become a member of this 28 agreement by enacting this agreement. 29 2. Article II —— Right of the people in member states to 30 vote for president and vice president. Each member state shall 31 conduct a statewide popular election for president and vice 32 president of the United States. 33 3. Article III —— Manner of appointing presidential electors 34 in member states. 35 -1- LSB 1435YH (1) 89 ss/jh 1/ 5
H.F. 71 a. Prior to the time set by law for the meeting and voting 1 by the presidential electors, the chief election official of 2 each member state shall determine the number of votes for each 3 presidential slate in each state of the United States and in 4 the District of Columbia in which votes have been cast in a 5 statewide popular election and shall add such votes together to 6 produce a “national popular vote total” for each presidential 7 slate. 8 b. The chief election official of each member state shall 9 designate the presidential slate with the largest national 10 popular vote total as the “national popular vote winner” . 11 c. The presidential elector certifying official of each 12 member state shall certify the appointment in that official’s 13 own state of the elector slate nominated in that state in 14 association with the national popular vote winner. 15 d. At least six days before the day fixed by law for the 16 meeting and voting by the presidential electors, each member 17 state shall make a final determination of the number of popular 18 votes cast in the state for each presidential slate and shall 19 communicate an official statement of such determination within 20 twenty-four hours to the chief election official of each other 21 member state. 22 e. The chief election official of each member state shall 23 treat as conclusive an official statement containing the number 24 of popular votes in a state for each presidential slate made by 25 the day established by federal law for making a state’s final 26 determination conclusive as to the counting of electoral votes 27 by Congress. 28 f. In event of a tie for the national popular vote winner, 29 the presidential elector certifying official of each member 30 state shall certify the appointment of the elector slate 31 nominated in association with the presidential slate receiving 32 the largest number of popular votes within that official’s own 33 state. 34 g. If, for any reason, the number of presidential electors 35 -2- LSB 1435YH (1) 89 ss/jh 2/ 5
H.F. 71 nominated in a member state in association with the national 1 popular vote winner is less than or greater than that state’s 2 number of electoral votes, the presidential candidate on 3 the presidential slate that has been designated as the 4 national popular vote winner shall have the power to nominate 5 the presidential electors for that state and that state’s 6 presidential elector certifying official shall certify the 7 appointment of such nominees. 8 h. The chief election official of each member state shall 9 immediately release to the public all vote counts or statements 10 of votes as they are determined or obtained. 11 i. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, 12 this article shall govern the appointment of presidential 13 electors in Iowa in any year in which this agreement is, on 14 July 20, in effect in states cumulatively possessing a majority 15 of the electoral votes. 16 4. Article IV —— Other provisions. 17 a. This agreement shall take effect when states cumulatively 18 possessing a majority of the electoral votes have enacted this 19 agreement in substantially the same form and the enactments by 20 such states have taken effect in each state. 21 b. Any member state may withdraw from this agreement, except 22 that a withdrawal occurring six months or less before the 23 end of a president’s term shall not become effective until a 24 president or vice president shall have been qualified to serve 25 the next term. 26 c. The chief executive of each member state shall promptly 27 notify the chief executives of all other states of when 28 this agreement has been enacted and has taken effect in that 29 official’s state, when the state has withdrawn from this 30 agreement, and when this agreement takes effect generally. 31 d. This agreement shall terminate if the electoral college 32 is abolished. 33 e. If any provision of this agreement is held invalid, the 34 remaining provisions shall not be affected. 35 -3- LSB 1435YH (1) 89 ss/jh 3/ 5
H.F. 71 5. Article V —— Definitions. For purposes of this 1 agreement: 2 a. “Chief election official” shall mean the state official 3 or body that is authorized to certify the total number of 4 popular votes for each presidential slate. 5 b. “Chief executive” shall mean the governor of a state of 6 the United States or the mayor of the District of Columbia. 7 c. “Elector slate” shall mean a slate of candidates who 8 have been nominated in a state for the position of presidential 9 elector in association with a presidential slate. 10 d. “Presidential elector” shall mean an elector for 11 president and vice president of the United States. 12 e. “Presidential elector certifying official” shall mean 13 the state official or body that is authorized to certify the 14 appointment of the state’s presidential electors. 15 f. “Presidential slate” shall mean a slate of two persons, 16 the first of whom has been nominated as a candidate for 17 president of the United States and the second of whom has been 18 nominated as a candidate for vice president of the United 19 States, or any legal successors to such persons, regardless of 20 whether both names appear on the ballot presented to the voter 21 in a particular state. 22 g. “State” shall mean a state of the United States and the 23 District of Columbia. 24 h. “Statewide popular election” shall mean a general 25 election in which votes are cast for presidential slates by 26 individual voters and counted on a statewide basis. 27 EXPLANATION 28 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 29 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 30 This bill creates a compact for the state of Iowa whereby 31 the state agrees to certify its electors for president of the 32 United States based on the national popular vote for president, 33 rather than on the popular vote for president within the state. 34 The agreement is cited in the bill as the “National Popular 35 -4- LSB 1435YH (1) 89 ss/jh 4/ 5
H.F. 71 Vote Compact”. To take effect, the compact must be enacted by 1 any number of states whose electoral votes, in the aggregate, 2 constitute a majority of the entire number of electoral votes 3 nationally. The compact provides that any member state may 4 withdraw from the compact. However, if a withdrawal occurs 5 six months or less before the end of a president’s term, 6 the withdrawal shall not take effect until a president has 7 qualified to serve the next term. 8 -5- LSB 1435YH (1) 89 ss/jh 5/ 5
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