Bill Text: IA HSB158 | 2015-2016 | 86th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A study bill related to elections administration and election officials.
Spectrum: Unknown
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-03-02 - 1:30PM; House Lounge State Government. [HSB158 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2015-HSB158-Introduced.html
House
Study
Bill
158
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
_____
BY
(PROPOSED
COMMITTEE
ON
STATE
GOVERNMENT
BILL
BY
CHAIRPERSON
VANDER
LINDEN)
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
related
to
elections
administration
and
election
1
officials.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
TLSB
2066YC
(2)
86
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H.F.
_____
Section
1.
Section
43.45,
Code
2015,
is
amended
by
adding
1
the
following
new
subsection:
2
NEW
SUBSECTION
.
3.
Notwithstanding
any
requirement
to
3
the
contrary
in
subsection
1
and
subsection
2,
paragraph
“c”
,
4
the
commissioner
may
direct
the
precinct
election
officials
5
to
tally
and
record
write-in
votes
at
the
precincts
after
6
the
closing
of
the
polls
or
may
direct
the
precinct
election
7
officials
to
sort
the
ballots
by
write-in
votes
for
delivery
8
to
the
special
precinct
board
to
tally
and
record
the
write-in
9
votes
on
any
day
following
election
day
and
prior
to
the
10
canvass
by
the
board
of
supervisors
under
section
43.49.
11
Sec.
2.
Section
49.11,
subsection
3,
paragraph
d,
12
subparagraph
(2),
Code
2015,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
13
(2)
The
consolidated
precincts,
if
established
as
a
14
permanent
precinct,
would
meet
all
requirements
of
section
15
49.3
,
and
a
combined
total
of
no
more
than
three
hundred
16
fifty
voters
voted
in
the
consolidated
precincts
at
the
last
17
preceding
similar
election
except
that
a
consolidated
precinct
18
may
exceed
a
total
population
of
three
thousand
five
hundred
if
19
determined
by
the
commissioner
to
be
administratively
feasible
.
20
The
commissioner
shall
notify
the
voters
of
a
consolidated
21
precinct
pursuant
to
section
49.23.
22
Sec.
3.
Section
50.24,
subsection
2,
Code
2015,
is
amended
23
to
read
as
follows:
24
2.
Upon
convening,
the
board
shall
open
and
canvass
the
25
tally
lists
and
shall
prepare
abstracts
stating
the
number
of
26
votes
cast
in
the
county,
or
in
that
portion
of
the
county
27
in
which
the
election
was
held,
for
each
office
and
on
each
28
question
on
the
ballot
for
the
election.
The
board
shall
29
contact
the
chairperson
of
the
special
precinct
board
before
30
adjourning
and
include
in
the
canvass
any
write-in
votes
31
tallied
and
recorded
by
the
special
precinct
board
or
any
32
absentee
ballots
which
were
received
after
the
polls
closed
in
33
accordance
with
section
53.17
and
which
were
canvassed
by
the
34
special
precinct
board
after
election
day.
The
abstract
shall
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further
indicate
the
name
of
each
person
who
received
votes
for
1
each
office
on
the
ballot,
and
the
number
of
votes
each
person
2
named
received
for
that
office,
and
the
number
of
votes
for
and
3
against
each
question
submitted
to
the
voters
at
the
election.
4
The
votes
of
all
write-in
candidates
who
each
received
less
5
than
five
percent
of
the
votes
cast
for
an
office
shall
be
6
reported
collectively
under
the
heading
“scattering”.
7
Sec.
4.
Section
53.20,
subsection
1,
Code
2015,
is
amended
8
to
read
as
follows:
9
1.
There
is
established
in
each
county
a
special
precinct
to
10
be
known
as
the
absentee
ballot
and
special
voters
precinct.
11
Its
jurisdiction
shall
be
conterminous
with
the
borders
of
the
12
county,
for
the
purposes
specified
by
sections
53.22
and
53.23
,
13
and
the
requirement
that
precincts
not
cross
the
boundaries
14
of
legislative
districts
shall
not
be
applicable
to
it.
The
15
commissioner
shall
draw
up
an
election
board
panel
for
the
16
special
precinct
in
the
manner
prescribed
by
section
49.15
,
17
having
due
regard
for
the
nature
and
extent
of
the
duties
18
required
of
members
of
the
election
board
and
the
election
19
officers
to
be
appointed
from
the
panel
,
including,
if
directed
20
by
the
commissioner,
the
tallying
and
recording
of
write-in
21
votes
.
22
Sec.
5.
Section
331.904,
subsection
1,
paragraph
a,
Code
23
2015,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
24
a.
The
annual
base
salary
of
the
first
and
second
deputy
25
officer
of
the
office
of
auditor,
treasurer,
and
recorder,
the
26
deputy
in
charge
of
election
administration,
the
deputy
in
27
charge
of
the
motor
vehicle
registration
and
title
division,
28
and
the
deputy
in
charge
of
driver’s
license
issuance
shall
29
each
be
an
amount
not
to
exceed
eighty-five
percent
of
the
30
annual
salary
of
the
deputy’s
principal
officer.
In
offices
31
where
more
than
two
deputies
are
required,
the
annual
base
32
salary
of
each
additional
deputy
shall
be
an
amount
not
to
33
exceed
eighty
percent
of
the
principal
officer’s
salary.
The
34
amount
of
the
annual
base
salary
of
each
deputy
shall
be
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certified
by
the
principal
officer
to
the
board
and,
if
a
1
deputy’s
annual
base
salary
does
not
exceed
the
limitations
2
specified
in
this
subsection
,
the
board
shall
certify
the
3
annual
base
salary
to
the
auditor.
The
board
shall
not
certify
4
a
deputy’s
annual
base
salary
which
exceeds
the
limitations
of
5
this
subsection
.
6
EXPLANATION
7
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
8
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
9
This
bill
relates
to
elections
administration
and
election
10
officials.
11
Under
current
law,
precinct
election
officials
are
required
12
to
tally
and
record
write-in
votes
after
the
polls
close
in
13
all
elections.
Under
the
bill,
the
county
commissioner
of
14
elections
may
direct
the
precinct
election
officials
to
tally
15
and
record
the
write-in
votes
after
the
polls
close
or
may
16
direct
the
officials
to
deliver
those
ballots
to
the
special
17
precinct
board
to
tally
and
record
the
write-in
votes
on
18
any
day
after
the
election
and
before
the
county
board
of
19
supervisors
canvasses
the
votes.
20
The
bill
also
provides
that
precincts
consolidated
by
the
21
county
commissioner
of
elections
may
have
populations
greater
22
than
3,500.
Current
law
prohibits
any
precinct
from
having
a
23
population
greater
than
3,500.
24
The
bill
also
provides
that
the
deputy
in
charge
of
election
25
administration
shall
earn
an
annual
salary
not
to
exceed
85
26
percent
of
the
annual
salary
of
the
county
auditor.
27
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