House File 2095

                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  STEVENS


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

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act allowing voting under certain circumstances at the
  2    commissioner's office on election day and providing an
  3    effective date.
  4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  5 TLSB 5435HH 80
  6 sc/gg/14

PAG LIN

  1  1    Section 1.  Section 47.1, unnumbered paragraph 4, Code
  1  2 Supplement 2003, is amended to read as follows:
  1  3    The state commissioner shall adopt rules describing the
  1  4 emergency powers and the situations in which the powers will
  1  5 be exercised.  In addition to other procedures developed by
  1  6 the state commissioner in the exercise of the state
  1  7 commissioner's emergency powers, if the opening of a polling
  1  8 place is delayed because of inclement weather, and the county
  1  9 commissioner's office is open and adequately staffed, the
  1 10 county commissioner may designate the county commissioner's
  1 11 office as the polling place for those voters whose polling
  1 12 place has not opened until such time as the polling place is
  1 13 opened.  A notice shall be posted on the door of the polling
  1 14 place informing voters that the opening of the polling place
  1 15 has been delayed and that voters may vote at the county
  1 16 commissioner's office until further notice.  The county
  1 17 commissioner is not required to obtain prior approval from the
  1 18 state commissioner before allowing such voters to vote at the
  1 19 county commissioner's office on election day.
  1 20    Sec. 2.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  This Act, being deemed of
  1 21 immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment.
  1 22                           EXPLANATION
  1 23    This bill allows the county commissioner of elections to
  1 24 designate the commissioner's office as the polling place on
  1 25 election day for those voters whose polling place has not
  1 26 opened at the scheduled time because of inclement weather.
  1 27 The bill requires the commissioner to post a notice on the
  1 28 door of the polling place informing voters that they may vote
  1 29 at the commissioner's office.  The bill also provides that the
  1 30 commissioner is not required to get approval from the state
  1 31 commissioner before allowing such voting at the commissioner's
  1 32 office.
  1 33    The bill takes effect upon enactment
  1 34 LSB 5435HH 80
  1 35 sc/gg/14