House File 595 - Introduced



                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  SWAIM


    Passed House,  Date               Passed Senate, Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to political party affiliation of candidates for
  2    city elective office.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  4 TLSB 2432HH 82
  5 sc/je/5

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 49.31, subsection 3, Code 2007, is
  1  2 amended to read as follows:
  1  3    3.  The ballots for any city elections, school elections,
  1  4 special election, or any other election at which any office is
  1  5 to be filled on a nonpartisan basis and the statutes governing
  1  6 the office to be filled are silent as to the arrangement of
  1  7 names on the ballot, shall contain the names of all nominees
  1  8 or candidates arranged in alphabetical order by surname under
  1  9 the heading of the office to be filled.  When a city election,
  1 10 school election, special election, or any other election at
  1 11 which an office is to be filled on a nonpartisan basis, is
  1 12 held in more than one precinct, the candidates' names shall be
  1 13 rotated on the ballot from precinct to precinct in the manner
  1 14 prescribed by subsection 2 unless there are no more candidates
  1 15 for an office than the number of persons to be elected to that
  1 16 office.  For any city election, the political party
  1 17 affiliation, if any, of each candidate for elective city
  1 18 office shall be listed after or below each candidate's name.
  1 19    Sec. 2.  Section 376.4, unnumbered paragraph 4, Code 2007,
  1 20 is amended to read as follows:
  1 21    The petition must include the affidavit of the individual
  1 22 for whom it is filed, stating the individual's name, the
  1 23 individual's residence, the individual's political party
  1 24 affiliation, if any, that the individual is a candidate and
  1 25 eligible for the office, and that if elected the individual
  1 26 will qualify for the office.  The affidavit shall also state
  1 27 that the candidate is aware that the candidate is disqualified
  1 28 from holding office if the candidate has been convicted of a
  1 29 felony or other infamous crime and the candidate's rights have
  1 30 not been restored by the governor or by the president of the
  1 31 United States.
  1 32    Sec. 3.  Section 376.5, Code 2007, is amended to read as
  1 33 follows:
  1 34    376.5  PUBLICATION OF BALLOT.
  1 35    Notice containing a copy of the ballot for each regular,
  2  1 special, primary, or runoff city election must be published by
  2  2 the county commissioner of elections as provided in section
  2  3 362.3, except that notice of a regular, primary, or runoff
  2  4 election may be published not less than four days before the
  2  5 date of the election.  The published ballot must contain the
  2  6 names of all candidates, and may not contain any party
  2  7 designations.  The published ballot must contain any question
  2  8 to be submitted to the voters.
  2  9                           EXPLANATION
  2 10    This bill requires that the political party affiliation, if
  2 11 any, of all candidates for city elective office be listed
  2 12 after or below the candidate's name on the ballot.  The bill
  2 13 also requires a candidate for elective city office to indicate
  2 14 political party affiliation on the affidavit of candidacy.
  2 15 Current law requiring nomination by petition is retained.
  2 16 LSB 2432HH 82
  2 17 sc:rj/je/5