69.8  Vacancies — how filled.
  Vacancies shall be filled by the officer or board named, and in the manner, and under the conditions, following:
  1.  United States senator.  In the office of United States senator, when the vacancy occurs when the senate of the United States is in session, or when such senate will convene prior to the next general election, by the governor. An appointment made under this subsection shall be for the period until the vacancy is filled by election pursuant to law.
  2.  State offices.  In all state offices, judges of courts of record, officers, trustees, inspectors, and members of all boards or commissions, and all persons filling any position of trust or profit in the state, by the governor, except when some other method is specially provided. An appointment by the governor to fill a vacancy in the office of lieutenant governor shall be for the balance of the unexpired term. An appointment made under this subsection to a state office subject to section 69.13 shall be for the period until the vacancy is filled by election pursuant to law.
  3.  County offices.  In county offices, by the board of supervisors, unless an election is called as provided in section 69.14A.
  4.  Board of supervisors.  In the membership of the board of supervisors, by the treasurer, auditor, and recorder, or as provided in section 69.14A. If any of these offices have been abolished through consolidation, the county attorney shall serve on this committee.
  5.  Elected township offices.
  a.  When a vacancy occurs in the office of township clerk or township trustee, the vacancy shall be filled by appointment by the trustees. All appointments to fill vacancies in township offices shall be until a successor is elected at the next general election and qualifies by taking the oath of office. If the term of office in which the vacancy exists will expire within seventy days after the next general election, the person elected to the office for the succeeding term shall qualify by taking the oath of office within ten days after the election and shall serve for the remainder of the unexpired term, as well as for the next four-year term.
  b.  However, if the offices of two trustees are vacant the county board of supervisors shall fill the vacancies by appointment. If the offices of three trustees are vacant the board may fill the vacancies by appointment, or the board may adopt a resolution stating that the board will exercise all powers and duties assigned by law to the trustees of the township in which the vacancies exist until the vacancies are filled at the next general election. If a township office vacancy is not filled by the trustees within thirty days after the vacancy occurs, the board of supervisors may appoint a successor to fill the vacancy until the vacancy can be filled at the next general election.
[C51, §436; R60, §664; C73, §513, 783, 794; C97, §1272; S13, §1272; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §1152; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, S81, §69.8; 81 Acts, ch 117, §1204]
83 Acts, ch 186, §10035 – 10037; 86 Acts, ch 1155, §2; 87 Acts, ch 68, §4; 89 Acts, ch 215, §2, 3; 94 Acts, ch 1180, §37; 2008 Acts, ch 1032, §161; 2009 Acts, ch 57, §73
Referred to in §69.14A, §331.322, §331.502
County auditor to act temporarily for other officers, §331.502(6) 
General power of governor; Iowa Constitution, Art. IV, §10 
Vacancies in city offices, §372.13(2)