1. At all elections conducted under chapter 49, and at any other election unless specifically prohibited by the statute authorizing the election, votes may be cast, registered, recorded and counted by means of either voting machines or electronic voting systems, in accordance with this chapter.
2. As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:
a. "Automatic tabulating equipment" means apparatus, including but not limited to electronic data processing machines, which may be utilized to ascertain the manner in which either special paper ballots or ballot cards have been marked by voters, and count the votes marked thereon.
b. "Ballot" includes a special paper ballot and a ballot card and its associated ballot label. In appropriate contexts, "ballot" also includes conventional paper ballots.
c. "Ballot card" means a tabulating card on which votes may be recorded by a voter by use of a voting punch device.
d. "Ballot label" means the cards, papers, booklet, pages or other material on which appear the names of offices and candidates and the statements of public questions to be voted on at any election by means of ballot cards.
e. "Counting center" means any place selected by the commissioner where automatic tabulating equipment is available, or is placed, for the purpose of counting votes marked on ballots cast in two or more precincts.
f. "Electronic voting system" means a system employing special paper ballots or ballot cards and ballot labels, under which votes are:
(1) Cast by voters by marking special paper ballots with a vote marking device, or by marking ballot cards by use of a voting punch device; and
(2) Thereafter counted by use of automatic tabulating equipment.
g. "Program" means the written record of the set of instructions defining the operations to be performed by a computer in examining, counting, tabulating, and printing votes.
h. "Special paper ballot" means a printed ballot designed to be marked by a voter with a vote marking device.
i. "Vote marking device" means a pen, pencil or similar writing tool for use in marking a special paper ballot, so designed or fabricated that the mark it leaves may be detected and the vote so cast counted by automatic tabulating equipment.
j. "Voting machine" means a mechanical or electronic device, meeting the requirements of section 52.7, designated for use in casting, registering, recording, and counting votes at an election.
k. "Voting punch device" means an apparatus to which is affixed a ballot label, and in which a ballot card may be inserted and marked by the voter by piercing the ballot card at appropriate points with a stylus provided for the purpose. The hole or mark made by the stylus may be round, square, rectangular or any other shape that will clearly indicate the intent of the voter.
[S13, § 1137-a7; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, § 904; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, § 52.1]
86 Acts, ch 1224, § 17, 18
Referred to in § 49.99
Previous Section 51.17
Next Section 52.2
© 2001 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: Mon Jan 22 17:13:42 CST 2001
URL: /DOCS/IACODE/2001/52/1.html
jhf