House
Study
Bill
133
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
_____
BY
(PROPOSED
COMMITTEE
ON
STATE
GOVERNMENT
BILL
BY
CHAIRPERSON
COWNIE)
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
election
recounts.
1
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
2
TLSB
2551YC
(2)
84
sc/rj
H.F.
_____
Section
1.
Section
50.48,
subsection
4,
paragraphs
a
and
c,
1
Code
2011,
are
amended
to
read
as
follows:
2
a.
When
all
members
of
the
recount
board
have
been
selected,
3
the
board
shall
undertake
and
complete
the
required
recount
as
4
expeditiously
as
reasonably
possible.
The
commissioner
or
the
5
commissioner’s
designee
shall
supervise
the
handling
of
ballots
6
to
ensure
that
the
ballots
are
protected
from
alteration
or
7
damage.
The
members
of
the
recount
board
are
the
only
persons
8
authorized
to
physically
touch
the
ballots
during
the
recount.
9
The
board
members
shall
open
only
the
sealed
ballot
containers
10
from
the
precincts
specified
to
be
recounted
in
the
request
or
11
by
the
recount
board.
The
board
members
shall
recount
only
12
the
ballots
which
were
voted
and
counted
for
the
office
in
13
question,
including
any
disputed
ballots
returned
as
required
14
in
section
50.5
.
If
automatic
tabulating
equipment
was
used
15
to
count
the
ballots,
the
commissioner
or
the
commissioner’s
16
designee
shall
supervise
the
recount
board
may
request
the
17
commissioner
to
retabulate
retabulation
of
the
ballots
by
the
18
recount
board
members
using
the
automatic
tabulating
equipment.
19
The
same
program
used
for
tabulating
the
votes
on
election
day
20
shall
be
used
at
the
recount
unless
the
program
is
believed
or
21
known
to
be
flawed.
22
c.
The
ballots
shall
be
resealed
by
the
recount
board
23
members
before
adjournment
and
shall
be
preserved
as
required
24
by
section
50.12
.
At
the
conclusion
of
the
recount,
the
25
recount
board
shall
make
and
file
with
the
commissioner
a
26
written
report
of
its
findings,
which
shall
be
signed
by
at
27
least
two
members
of
the
recount
board.
The
recount
board
28
shall
complete
the
recount
and
file
its
report
not
later
than
29
the
eighteenth
day
following
the
county
board’s
canvass
of
the
30
election
in
question.
31
EXPLANATION
32
This
bill
provides
that
the
members
of
a
recount
board
are
33
the
only
persons
authorized
to
physically
touch
the
ballots
34
during
a
recount.
The
bill
applies
to
recounts
for
public
35
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2551YC
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2
H.F.
_____
office
or
nomination
to
public
office
and,
by
operation
of
law,
1
public
measures.
2
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2551YC
(2)
84
sc/rj
2/
2