House File 315 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 315 BY COWNIE A BILL FOR An Act relating to the option of voting straight party at 1 certain elections. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 1459YH (2) 84 sc/nh

H.F. 315 Section 1. Section 49.37, subsection 1, Code 2011, is 1 amended to read as follows: 2 1. For general elections, and for other elections in which 3 more than one partisan office will be filled, the first section 4 of the ballot shall be for straight party voting arranged as 5 provided in this section . 6 a. Each political party or organization which has 7 nominated candidates for more than one office shall be listed. 8 Instructions to the voter for straight party or organization 9 voting shall be in substantially the following form: 10 To vote for all candidates from a single party or 11 organization, mark the voting target next to the party or 12 organization name. Not all parties or organizations have 13 nominated candidates for all offices. Marking a straight party 14 or organization vote does not include votes for nonpartisan 15 offices, judges, or questions. 16 b. Political parties and nonparty political organizations 17 which have nominated candidates for only one office shall 18 be listed below the other political organizations under the 19 following heading: 20 Other Political Organizations. The following organizations 21 have nominated candidates for only one office: 22 c. 1A. Offices shall be arranged in groups. Partisan 23 offices, nonpartisan offices, judges, and public measures shall 24 be separated by a distinct line appearing on the ballot. 25 Sec. 2. Section 49.57, subsection 2, Code 2011, is amended 26 to read as follows: 27 2. In the area of the general election ballot for straight 28 party voting, the party or organization names shall be printed 29 in upper case and lower case letters using a uniform font size 30 for each political party or nonparty political organization. 31 The font size shall be not less than twelve point type. After 32 the name of each candidate for a partisan office the name of 33 the candidate’s political party shall be printed in at least 34 six point type. The names of political parties and nonparty 35 -1- LSB 1459YH (2) 84 sc/nh 1/ 2

H.F. 315 political organizations may be abbreviated on the remainder of 1 the ballot if both the full name and the abbreviation appear 2 in the “Straight Party” and “Other Political Party” areas of 3 the ballot. 4 Sec. 3. Section 49.98, Code 2011, is amended to read as 5 follows: 6 49.98 Counting ballots. 7 The ballots shall be counted according to the voters’ marks 8 on them as provided in sections 49.92 to 49.97 and 49.93 , 9 and not otherwise. If, for any reason, it is impossible 10 to determine from a ballot, as marked, the choice of the 11 voter for any office, the vote for that office shall not be 12 counted. When there is a conflict between a straight party or 13 organization vote for one political party or nonparty political 14 organization and the vote cast by marking the voting target 15 next to the name of a candidate for another political party 16 or nonparty political organization on the ballot, the mark 17 next to the name of the candidate shall be held to control, 18 and the straight party or organization vote in that case shall 19 not apply as to that office. A ballot shall be rejected if 20 the voter used a mark to identify the voter’s ballot. For 21 each voting system, the The state commissioner shall, by rule 22 adopted pursuant to chapter 17A , develop uniform definitions of 23 what constitutes a vote. 24 Sec. 4. REPEAL. Sections 49.94, 49.95, 49.96, and 49.97, 25 Code 2011, are repealed. 26 EXPLANATION 27 This bill eliminates the option of voting straight party 28 for all candidates of a political party or nonparty political 29 organization. The bill applies to the general election and 30 elections at which more than one partisan office is to be 31 filled. 32 -2- LSB 1459YH (2) 84 sc/nh 2/ 2