House File 276

                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  JOCHUM


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

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act allowing a county commissioner of elections to appoint
  2    certain high school students to serve as precinct election
  3    board members.
  4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  5 TLSB 1341HH 80
  6 sc/pj/5

PAG LIN

  1  1    Section 1.  Section 49.13, Code 2003, is amended by adding
  1  2 the following new subsection:
  1  3    NEW SUBSECTION.  5.  The commissioner may appoint high
  1  4 school students who are not yet qualified to be registered
  1  5 voters to serve as precinct election board members.
  1  6    a.  To qualify to serve as a precinct election board
  1  7 member, a high school student shall:
  1  8    (1)  Be a United States citizen.
  1  9    (2)  Be a junior or senior in good standing enrolled in a
  1 10 public or private secondary school in Iowa.
  1 11    (3)  Have a cumulative grade point average equivalent to at
  1 12 least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.
  1 13    (4)  At the time of appointment, have the written approval
  1 14 of the principal of the secondary school the student attends.
  1 15    (5)  Have the written approval of the student's parent or
  1 16 legal guardian.
  1 17    (6)  Have satisfactorily completed the training course for
  1 18 election officials.
  1 19    (7)  Meet all other qualifications for appointment and
  1 20 service as an election board member except the requirement of
  1 21 being a registered voter.
  1 22    b.  No more than one student precinct election board member
  1 23 may serve on each precinct election board.
  1 24    c.  Student precinct election board members shall not serve
  1 25 as the chairperson of a precinct election board.
  1 26    d.  Before serving at a partisan election, the student
  1 27 election precinct board member must certify in writing to the
  1 28 commissioner the political party with which the student is
  1 29 affiliated.
  1 30    e.  Student precinct election board members shall not be
  1 31 counted as absent from school on the day they serve as
  1 32 election officials.
  1 33    f.  Student precinct election board members shall not be
  1 34 allowed to work more hours than allowed under the applicable
  1 35 labor laws.
  2  1    Sec. 2.  Section 49.15, Code 2003, is amended by adding the
  2  2 following new unnumbered paragraph:
  2  3    NEW UNNUMBERED PARAGRAPH.  In drawing up precinct election
  2  4 board panels, the commissioner may use student precinct
  2  5 election board members appointed pursuant to section 49.13,
  2  6 subsection 5.
  2  7                           EXPLANATION
  2  8    This bill amends Code sections 49.13 and 49.15 to allow
  2  9 high school juniors and seniors who are not yet qualified to
  2 10 be registered voters to be appointed as precinct election
  2 11 board members, but not board chairpersons, if they meet
  2 12 certain statutory requirements.
  2 13 LSB 1341HH 80
  2 14 sc/pj/5