Senate File 2371 - Introduced
SENATE FILE
BY COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT
(SUCCESSOR TO SSB 3130)
Passed Senate, Date Passed House, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to satellite absentee voting at city primary and
2 city runoff elections.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
4 TLSB 5926SV 81
5 sc/cf/24
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 53.11, subsection 1, Code Supplement
1 2 2005, is amended to read as follows:
1 3 1. Satellite absentee voting stations may be established
1 4 throughout the cities and county at the direction of the
1 5 commissioner and shall be established upon receipt of a
1 6 petition signed by not less than one hundred eligible electors
1 7 requesting that a satellite absentee voting station be
1 8 established at a location to be described on the petition.
1 9 However, if a special election is scheduled in the county on a
1 10 date that falls between the date of the regular city election
1 11 and the date of the city runoff election, the commissioner is
1 12 not required to establish a satellite absentee voting station
1 13 for the city runoff election.
1 14 PARAGRAPH DIVIDED. A satellite absentee voting station
1 15 established by petition must be open at least one day for a
1 16 minimum of six hours. A satellite absentee voting station
1 17 established at the direction of the commissioner or by
1 18 petition may remain open until five p.m. on the day before the
1 19 election.
1 20 Sec. 2. Section 53.11, subsection 2, paragraph b, Code
1 21 Supplement 2005, is amended to read as follows:
1 22 b. For the regular city election or a city primary
1 23 election, no later than five p.m. on the thirtieth day before
1 24 the election.
1 25 Sec. 3. Section 53.11, subsection 2, Code Supplement 2005,
1 26 is amended by adding the following new paragraph:
1 27 NEW PARAGRAPH. bb. For a city runoff election, no later
1 28 than five p.m. on the twenty=first day before the election.
1 29 Sec. 4. Section 53.11, Code Supplement 2005, is amended by
1 30 adding the following new subsection:
1 31 NEW SUBSECTION. 5. If the only newspaper of general
1 32 circulation in the city is published once weekly or less
1 33 frequently, and it is not feasible for the commissioner to
1 34 publish notice in that newspaper of the location of a
1 35 satellite absentee voting station for a city runoff election
2 1 at least seven days before the opening of the station,
2 2 notwithstanding any publication or posting requirements to the
2 3 contrary, the commissioner shall post notice of the location
2 4 at least seven days before the opening of the station on the
2 5 commissioner's website, at each satellite absentee voting
2 6 station, at the county courthouse, at the city hall of the
2 7 city for which the runoff election is being conducted, and at
2 8 the public library of such city. In addition, the
2 9 commissioner shall provide written notice of the location of
2 10 the satellite absentee voting station to the candidates named
2 11 on the ballot for the city runoff election.
2 12 EXPLANATION
2 13 This bill provides that satellite absentee voting stations
2 14 may be used for city primary elections and city runoff
2 15 elections. The bill also provides, however, that if there is
2 16 a special election scheduled between the day of the regular
2 17 city election and the day of the runoff election, the county
2 18 commissioner of elections is not required to establish a
2 19 satellite absentee voting station for the runoff election.
2 20 The bill also allows posting of notice of location of a
2 21 satellite absentee voting station for a city runoff election
2 22 if it is not feasible to publish the notice in a timely
2 23 manner.
2 24 LSB 5926SV 81
2 25 sc:nh/cf/24