Text: HSB00027 Text: HSB00029 Text: HSB00000 - HSB00099 Text: HSB Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. Section 53.2, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 1 2 1999, is amended to read as follows: 1 3 Any registered voter may, under the circumstances specified 1 4 in section 53.1,may on any day, except election day,and not 1 5 more thanseventyfifty daysprior tobefore the date of the 1 6 election but not later than the Saturday before the election, 1 7 apply in person for an absentee ballot at the commissioner's 1 8 office or at any location designated by the commissioner, or 1 9 make written application to the commissioner for an absentee 1 10 ballot. Applications shall not be signed or solicited in 1 11 advance of the fifty-day period. Applications shall only be 1 12 accepted after the Saturday before the election if the 1 13 applicant is voting pursuant to section 53.22. The state 1 14 commissioner shall prescribe a form for absentee ballot 1 15 applications. However, if a registered voter submits an 1 16 application that includes all of the information required in 1 17 this section, the prescribed form is not required. Absentee 1 18 ballot applications may include instructions to send the 1 19 application directly to the county commissioner of elections. 1 20 However, no absentee ballot application shall be preaddressed 1 21 or printed with instructions to send the applications to 1 22 anyone other than the appropriate commissioner. 1 23 Sec. 2. Section 53.2, unnumbered paragraph 4, Code 1999, 1 24 is amended to read as follows: 1 25 Each application shall contain the name and signature of 1 26 the registered voter, the address at which the voter is 1 27 registered to vote, and the name or date of the election for 1 28 which the absentee ballot is requested, and such other 1 29 information as may be necessary to determine the correct 1 30 absentee ballot for the registered voter. The voter's 1 31 signature shall be the writing or markings of the voter. 1 32 Another person shall not sign an application on behalf of a 1 33 voter except that if the voter is unable due to a physical 1 34 disability to make a written signature or mark, a person 1 35 authorized by the voter may sign the application on behalf of 2 1 the voter. If insufficient information has been provided, the 2 2 commissioner shall, by the best means available, obtain the 2 3 additional necessary information. 2 4 Sec. 3. Section 53.9, Code 1999, is amended to read as 2 5 follows: 2 6 53.9 PROHIBITED PERSONS. 2 7NoA person required to file reports under chapter 56, and 2 8noa person acting as an actual or implied agent for a person 2 9 required to file reports under chapter 56, shall not receive, 2 10 handle, or deliver absentee ballots on behalf of voters. This 2 11 prohibitiondoes not apply toprecludes prohibited persons 2 12 from being a voter's designee under section 53.17, and 2 13 precludes an unvoted ballot from being sent to a prohibited 2 14 person under section 53.2. 2 15 Sec. 4. Section 53.11, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 1999, 2 16 is amended to read as follows: 2 17TheExcept as provided in section 53.39, the commissioner 2 18 shall deliver an absentee ballot to any registered voter 2 19 applying in person at the commissioner's office, or at any 2 20 location designated by the commissioner, not more thanforty2 21 thirty days before the date of the general election or the 2 22 primary election, and for all other elections, as soon as the 2 23 ballot is available. The registered voter shall immediately 2 24 mark the ballot, enclose and seal it in a ballot envelope, 2 25 subscribe to the affidavit on the reverse side of the 2 26 envelope, and return the absentee ballot to the commissioner. 2 27 The commissioner shall record the numbers appearing on the 2 28 application and ballot envelope along with the name of the 2 29 registered voter. 2 30 Sec. 5. Section 53.11, Code 1999, is amended by adding the 2 31 following new unnumbered paragraphs after subsection 4: 2 32 NEW UNNUMBERED PARAGRAPH. The commissioner shall publish 2 33 notice of all satellite voting stations established under this 2 34 section, whether upon a petition or at the direction of the 2 35 commissioner, within ten days of the applicable deadline 3 1 established in subsections 1 through 4. 3 2 NEW UNNUMBERED PARAGRAPH. The provisions of section 49.107 3 3 shall be applicable to satellite voting stations, including 3 4 the commissioner's office, during the satellite voting period. 3 5 However, the proximity to the satellite voting station in 3 6 which electioneering and other activity specified by section 3 7 49.107, subsection 1, is prohibited shall be one hundred feet 3 8 from any wall, posted sign, or other divider which serves as a 3 9 boundary of the area designated as a satellite voting station. 3 10 Sec. 6. Section 53.17, subsection 1, Code 1999, is amended 3 11 to read as follows: 3 12 1. The sealed carrier envelope may be delivered by the 3 13 registered voter or the voter's designee to the commissioner's 3 14 office no later than the time the polls are closed on election 3 15 day. The person who delivers a carrier envelope to the 3 16 commissioner's office shall sign a receipt presented by the 3 17 commissioner. The commissioner shall attach the signed 3 18 receipt to the carrier envelope. 3 19 Sec. 7. Section 53.18, Code 1999, is amended to read as 3 20 follows: 3 21 53.18 MANNER OF PRESERVING BALLOT AND APPLICATION. 3 22 Upon receipt of the absentee ballot, the commissioner shall 3 23 at once record the number appearing on the application and 3 24 return carrier envelope,andthe time of receipt of such 3 25 ballot, and whether the ballot was returned by personal 3 26 delivery by the voter or the voter's designee or by mail. The 3 27 commissioner shall attach the elector's application to the 3 28 unopened envelope. Absentee ballots shall be stored in a 3 29 secure place until they are delivered to the absentee and 3 30 special voters. 3 31 Sec. 8. Section 53.31, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 1999, 3 32 is amended to read as follows: 3 33 Any person qualified to vote at the election in progress 3 34 may challenge the qualifications of a personcastingwho has 3 35 requested or cast an absentee ballot by submitting a written 4 1 challenge to the commissioner no later than five p.m. on the 4 2 day before the election. It is the duty of the special 4 3 precinct officials to challenge the absentee ballot of any 4 4 person whom the official knows or suspects is not duly 4 5 qualified. Challenges by members of the special precinct 4 6 election board or observers present pursuant to section 53.23 4 7 may be made at any time before the close of the polls on 4 8 election day. The challenge shall state the reasons for which 4 9 the challenge is being submitted and shall be signed by the 4 10 challenger.WhenIf a challenge is received the absentee 4 11 ballot shall be set aside for consideration by the special 4 12 precinct election board when it meets as required by section 4 13 50.22. 4 14 EXPLANATION 4 15 This bill makes several changes to the laws on absentee 4 16 voting. Code section 53.2 is amended to shorten the period 4 17 during which persons can request absentee ballots to 50 days 4 18 before the election and requires that the request be dated no 4 19 earlier than 50 days before the election. Under current law, 4 20 persons can file requests for absentee ballots as early as 70 4 21 days before the election. Code section 53.2 is also amended 4 22 to require that all requests for absentee ballots be made by 4 23 the Saturday before the election. An exception would remain 4 24 for persons who are hospitalized within three days of the 4 25 election or who are residents of a health care facility. 4 26 Finally, Code section 53.2 is amended to prohibit anyone 4 27 signing a request on behalf of a voter, except where the voter 4 28 is unable to sign because of physical disability. 4 29 Code section 53.9 is amended to prohibit political persons 4 30 (i.e., political candidates, their agents, and political 4 31 parties) from receiving (by mail or in person), handling, or 4 32 delivering absentee ballots, whether voted or unvoted. The 4 33 amendment also specifically prohibits political persons from 4 34 being a voter's designee to receive, handle, or deliver the 4 35 ballot for the voter. 5 1 Code section 53.11 is amended to shorten the period during 5 2 which absentee voting in person can occur from 40 to 30 days 5 3 before the election, except that members of the armed forces 5 4 and persons overseas will still be sent absentee ballots 40 5 5 days before the election. Code section 53.11 is also amended 5 6 to require the county auditor to publish locations of 5 7 satellite voting stations within 10 days after the deadline 5 8 for petition requests for satellite voting stations. Finally, 5 9 Code section 53.11 is amended to prohibit electioneering 5 10 within 100 feet of satellite voting stations or the auditor's 5 11 office while absentee voting is allowed. Current 5 12 administrative rules prohibit electioneering within 30 feet of 5 13 the satellite voting station and are silent as to prohibitions 5 14 on electioneering near the auditor's office. 5 15 Code section 53.17 is amended to require persons delivering 5 16 absentee ballots to the election office to sign a receipt that 5 17 will be attached to the absentee ballot carrier envelope and 5 18 retained by the election office. Code section 53.18 is 5 19 amended to require the county auditor to record whether a 5 20 voted absentee ballot was delivered to the election office by 5 21 mail, voter's designee, or voter. 5 22 Code section 53.31 is amended to allow challenges to 5 23 absentee voters based on the request for an absentee ballot 5 24 filed with the election office. 5 25 LSB 1463YC 78 5 26 sc/sc/14
Text: HSB00027 Text: HSB00029 Text: HSB00000 - HSB00099 Text: HSB Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
© 1999 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa
Comments about this site or page?
webmaster@legis.iowa.gov.
Please remember that the person listed above does not vote on bills. Direct all comments concerning legislation to State Legislators.
Last update: Tue Feb 2 03:31:04 CST 1999
URL: /DOCS/GA/78GA/Legislation/HSB/00000/HSB00028/990201.html
jhf