Senate File 42

                                       SENATE FILE       
                                       BY  BOLKCOM and LUNDBY


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

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act allowing greater third party ballot access by redefining
  2    political party.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  4 TLSB 1405XS 80
  5 sc/cl/14

PAG LIN

  1  1    Section 1.  Section 43.2, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code
  1  2 2003, is amended to read as follows:
  1  3    The term "political party" shall mean means a party which,
  1  4 at the last preceding general election, cast for its candidate
  1  5 for president of the United States or for governor, as the
  1  6 case may be any statewide office, at least two percent of the
  1  7 total vote cast for all candidates for that office at that
  1  8 election or, in the alternative, which maintains registrations
  1  9 with that party in a number equal to or greater than one=half
  1 10 of one percent of the total number of voters who cast ballots
  1 11 in the last preceding general election.  It shall be the
  1 12 responsibility of the state commissioner to determine whether
  1 13 any organization claiming to be a political party qualifies as
  1 14 such under the foregoing definition.
  1 15                           EXPLANATION
  1 16    This bill changes the definition of "political party" to
  1 17 mean a party that receives 2 percent of the vote for any
  1 18 statewide office, rather than for only governor or president,
  1 19 or that maintains voter registrations to their party of 0.5
  1 20 percent of the total number of persons who voted in the last
  1 21 preceding general election.
  1 22 LSB 1405XS 80
  1 23 sc/cl/14
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