Text: S03256                            Text: S03258
Text: S03200 - S03299                   Text: S Index
Bills and Amendments: General Index     Bill History: General Index



Senate Amendment 3257

Amendment Text

PAG LIN
  1  1    Amend Senate File 342 as follows:
  1  2    #1.  Page 1, by inserting after line 7, the
  1  3 following:
  1  4    "Sec.    .  Section 53.8, subsection 1, Code 2001,
  1  5 is amended to read as follows:
  1  6    1.  Upon receipt of an application for an absentee
  1  7 ballot and immediately after the absentee ballots are
  1  8 printed, the commissioner shall mail an absentee
  1  9 ballot to the applicant within twenty-four hours,
  1 10 except as otherwise provided in subsection 3.  The
  1 11 absentee ballot shall be enclosed in an unsealed
  1 12 ballot envelope bearing a serial number and affidavit.
  1 13 The absentee ballot and unsealed envelope shall be
  1 14 enclosed in or with a carrier envelope which bears the
  1 15 same serial number as the unsealed envelope.  The
  1 16 absentee ballot, and unsealed ballot envelope, and
  1 17 carrier envelope shall be enclosed in a third second
  1 18 envelope to be sent to the registered voter.
  1 19    Sec.    .  Section 53.12, Code 2001, is amended to
  1 20 read as follows:
  1 21    53.12  DUTY OF COMMISSIONER.
  1 22    The commissioner shall enclose the absentee ballot
  1 23 in an unsealed a ballot envelope, to be furnished by
  1 24 the commissioner, which envelope shall bear upon its
  1 25 face the words "county commissioner of elections", the
  1 26 address of the commissioner's office, and the same
  1 27 serial number appearing on the unsealed ballot
  1 28 envelope shall be affixed to the application.
  1 29    Sec.    .  Section 53.13, Code 2001, is amended to
  1 30 read as follows:
  1 31    53.13  VOTER'S AFFIDAVIT ON ENVELOPE.
  1 32    On the unsealed ballot envelope shall be printed an
  1 33 affidavit form prescribed by the state commissioner of
  1 34 elections.
  1 35    Sec.    .  Section 53.17, Code 2001, is amended to
  1 36 read as follows:
  1 37    53.17  MAILING OR DELIVERING BALLOT.
  1 38    The sealed ballot envelope containing the absentee
  1 39 ballot shall be enclosed in a carrier envelope which
  1 40 shall be securely sealed.  The sealed carrier envelope
  1 41 shall be returned to the commissioner by one of the
  1 42 following methods:
  1 43    1.  The sealed carrier ballot envelope may be
  1 44 delivered by the registered voter or the voter's
  1 45 designee to the commissioner's office no later than
  1 46 the time the polls are closed on election day.
  1 47    2.  The sealed carrier ballot envelope may be
  1 48 mailed to the commissioner.  The carrier ballot
  1 49 envelope shall indicate that greater postage than
  1 50 ordinary first class mail may be required.  The
  2  1 commissioner shall pay any insufficient postage due on
  2  2 a carrier ballot envelope bearing ordinary first class
  2  3 postage and accept the ballot.
  2  4    In order for the ballot to be counted, the carrier
  2  5 ballot envelope must be received in the commissioner's
  2  6 office before the polls close on election day or be
  2  7 clearly postmarked by an officially authorized postal
  2  8 service not later than the day before the election and
  2  9 received by the commissioner not later than noon on
  2 10 the Monday following the election.
  2 11    If the law authorizing the election specifies that
  2 12 the supervisors canvass the votes earlier than the
  2 13 Monday following the election, absentee ballots
  2 14 returned through the mail must be received not later
  2 15 than the time established for the canvass by the board
  2 16 of supervisors for that election.  The commissioner
  2 17 shall contact the post office serving the
  2 18 commissioner's office at the latest practicable hour
  2 19 before the canvass by the board of supervisors for
  2 20 that election, and shall arrange for absentee ballots
  2 21 received in that post office but not yet delivered to
  2 22 the commissioner's office to be brought to the
  2 23 commissioner's office before the canvass for that
  2 24 election by the board of supervisors.
  2 25    Sec.    .  Section 53.18, Code 2001, is amended to
  2 26 read as follows:
  2 27    53.18  MANNER OF PRESERVING BALLOT AND APPLICATION.
  2 28    Upon receipt of the absentee ballot, the
  2 29 commissioner shall at once record the number appearing
  2 30 on the application and return carrier ballot envelope
  2 31 and time of receipt of such ballot and attach the
  2 32 elector's application to the unopened envelope.
  2 33 Absentee ballots shall be stored in a secure place
  2 34 until they are delivered to the absentee and special
  2 35 voters.
  2 36    Sec.    .  Section 53.19, unnumbered paragraph 1,
  2 37 Code 2001, is amended to read as follows:
  2 38    The commissioner shall maintain a list of the
  2 39 absentee ballots provided to registered voters, the
  2 40 serial number appearing on the unsealed ballot
  2 41 envelope, the date the application for the absentee
  2 42 ballot was received, and the date the absentee ballot
  2 43 was sent to the registered voter requesting the
  2 44 absentee ballot.
  2 45    Sec.    .  Section 53.21, Code 2001, is amended to
  2 46 read as follows:
  2 47    53.21  REPLACEMENT OF LOST OR SPOILED ABSENTEE
  2 48 BALLOTS.
  2 49    A voter who has requested an absentee ballot may
  2 50 obtain a replacement ballot if the voter declares that
  3  1 the original ballot was lost or did not arrive.  The
  3  2 commissioner upon receipt of a written or oral request
  3  3 for a replacement ballot shall provide a duplicate
  3  4 ballot.  The same serial number that was assigned to
  3  5 the records of the original absentee ballot request
  3  6 shall be used on the envelopes envelope and records of
  3  7 the replacement ballot.
  3  8    The commissioner shall include with the replacement
  3  9 ballot two copies of a statement in substantially the
  3 10 following form:  
  3 11    The absentee ballot which I requested on
  3 12 ........(date) has been lost or was never received.
  3 13 If I find this absentee ballot I will return it,
  3 14 unvoted, to the commissioner.  
  3 15                                ....................
  3 16                                (Signature of voter)
  3 17                                ....................
  3 18                                (Date)
  3 19    The voter shall enclose one copy of the above
  3 20 statement in the return carrier envelope with the
  3 21 ballot envelope and retain a copy for the voter's
  3 22 records.
  3 23    A voter who spoils an absentee ballot may return it
  3 24 to the commissioner.  The outside of the return ballot
  3 25 envelope shall be marked "SPOILED BALLOT".  The
  3 26 commissioner shall replace the ballot in the manner
  3 27 provided in this section for lost ballots.
  3 28    An absentee ballot returned to the commissioner
  3 29 without a designation that the ballot was spoiled
  3 30 shall not be replaced.
  3 31    Sec.    .  Section 53.22, subsection 5, unnumbered
  3 32 paragraph 2, Code 2001, is amended to read as follows:
  3 33    Absentee ballots voted under this subsection shall
  3 34 be delivered to the commissioner no later than the
  3 35 time the polls are closed on election day.  If the
  3 36 ballot is returned by mail the carrier ballot envelope
  3 37 must be received by the time the polls close, or
  3 38 clearly postmarked by an officially authorized postal
  3 39 service not later than the day before the election and
  3 40 received by the commissioner no later than the time
  3 41 established for the canvass by the board of
  3 42 supervisors for that election.
  3 43    Sec.    .  Section 53.23, subsection 3, Code 2001,
  3 44 is amended to read as follows:
  3 45    3.  The commissioner shall set the convening time
  3 46 for the board, allowing a reasonable amount of time to
  3 47 complete counting all absentee ballots by ten p.m. on
  3 48 election day.  The commissioner may direct the board
  3 49 to meet on the day before the election solely for the
  3 50 purpose of reviewing the absentee voters' affidavits
  4  1 appearing on the sealed ballot envelopes.  If, if in
  4  2 the commissioner's judgment this procedure is
  4  3 necessary due to the number of absentee ballots
  4  4 received, the members of the board may open the sealed
  4  5 ballot envelopes and remove the secrecy envelope
  4  6 containing the ballot, but under.  Under no
  4  7 circumstances shall a secrecy ballot envelope be
  4  8 opened before the board convenes on election day.  If
  4  9 the affidavits on the ballot envelopes are opened
  4 10 reviewed before election day, two observers, one
  4 11 appointed by each of the two political parties
  4 12 referred to in section 49.13, subsection 2, shall
  4 13 witness the proceedings.
  4 14    If the board finds any ballot not enclosed in a
  4 15 secrecy envelope, the two special precinct election
  4 16 officials, one from each of the two political parties
  4 17 referred to in section 49.13, subsection 2, shall
  4 18 place the ballot in a secrecy envelope.  No one shall
  4 19 examine the ballot.  Each of the special precinct
  4 20 election officials shall sign the secrecy envelope.
  4 21    Sec.    .  Section 53.23, subsection 5, Code 2001,
  4 22 is amended to read as follows:
  4 23    5.  The special precinct election board shall
  4 24 preserve the secrecy of all absentee and special
  4 25 ballots.  After the affidavits on the envelopes have
  4 26 been reviewed and the qualifications of the persons
  4 27 casting the ballots have been determined, those that
  4 28 have been accepted for counting shall be opened.  The
  4 29 ballots shall be removed from the affidavit ballot
  4 30 envelopes without being unfolded or examined, and then
  4 31 shall be thoroughly intermingled, after which they
  4 32 shall be unfolded and tabulated.  If secrecy folders
  4 33 or envelopes are used with special paper ballots, the
  4 34 ballots shall be removed from the secrecy folders
  4 35 after the ballots have been intermingled.
  4 36    Sec.    .  Section 468.511, subsection 1, Code
  4 37 2001, is amended to read as follows:
  4 38    1.  When a petition asking for the right to vote in
  4 39 proportion to assessment of benefits at all elections
  4 40 for any purpose thereafter to be held within said
  4 41 district, signed by a majority of the landowners
  4 42 owning land within said district assessed for
  4 43 benefits, is filed with the board of trustees, then,
  4 44 in all elections of trustees thereafter held within
  4 45 said district, any person whose land is assessed for
  4 46 benefits without regard to age, sex, or condition
  4 47 shall be entitled to one vote for each ten dollars or
  4 48 fraction thereof of the original assessment under the
  4 49 current classification against the land actually owned
  4 50 by the person in said district at the time of the
  5  1 election, but in order to have such ballot counted for
  5  2 more than one vote the voter shall write the voter's
  5  3 name upon the ballot.  The vote of any landowner of
  5  4 the district may be cast by absent voters ballot as
  5  5 provided in chapter 53 except that the form of the
  5  6 applications for ballots, the voters' affidavits on
  5  7 the envelopes, and the endorsement of the carrier
  5  8 outer envelope for preserving the ballot shall be
  5  9 substantially in the form provided in subsections 2, 3
  5 10 and 4, below.  Application blanks, envelopes and
  5 11 ballots shall be provided by and submitted to the
  5 12 office of the county auditor in which the election is
  5 13 held.  The cost of such blanks, envelopes, ballots and
  5 14 postage shall be paid by the district.  For the
  5 15 purpose of this subchapter all landowners of the
  5 16 district shall be considered qualified voters,
  5 17 regardless of their place of residence.
  5 18    Sec.    .  Section 468.511, subsection 4, Code
  5 19 2001, is amended to read as follows:
  5 20    4.  For the purposes of this subchapter, upon
  5 21 receipt of the ballot, the auditor shall at once
  5 22 enclose the same, unopened, together with the
  5 23 application made by the voter in a large carrier an
  5 24 outer envelope, securely seal the same, and endorse
  5 25 thereon over the auditor's official signature, the
  5 26 following:
  5 27    a.  Name of the district in which the voter is a
  5 28 landowner.
  5 29    b.  Date of the election for which the ballot is
  5 30 cast.
  5 31    c.  Location of the polling place at which the
  5 32 ballot would be legally and properly cast if voted in
  5 33 person.
  5 34    d.  Names of the judges of the election of that
  5 35 polling place, and the statement that this envelope
  5 36 contains an absent voters ballot and must be opened
  5 37 only at the polls on election day while said polls are
  5 38 open."
  5 39    #2.  Title page, line 1, by inserting after the
  5 40 word "Act" the following:  "relating to the conduct of
  5 41 elections by reducing the number of envelopes used in
  5 42 absentee voting from two to one and by".
  5 43    #3.  By renumbering as necessary.  
  5 44 
  5 45 
  5 46                               
  5 47 JOE BOLKCOM
  5 48 SF 342.205 79
  5 49 sc/gg
     

Text: S03256                            Text: S03258
Text: S03200 - S03299                   Text: S Index
Bills and Amendments: General Index     Bill History: General Index

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