HOUSE FILE _____

BY  (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT BILL BY CHAIRPERSON COWNIE)

A BILL FOR

An Act requiring a separate tally of absentee votes by precinct.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

   Section 1.  Section 49.31, subsection 7, Code 2011, is amended to read as follows:
   7.  For the purpose of ballot rotation the absentee ballot and special voters precinct may shall not be considered a separate precinct.
   Sec. 2.  Section 49.57, Code 2011, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  8.  Absentee ballots tabulated by an optical scan voting system shall be coded with the resident precinct number of the absentee voter. Absentee ballots counted by hand shall include the resident precinct number of the absentee voter.
   Sec. 3.  Section 52.33, Code 2011, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  1A.  For absentee ballots tabulated using an optical scan voting system, the tabulating device shall be programmed to produce a report showing the resident precinct of the absentee voter.
   Sec. 4.  Section 53.23, subsection 2, Code 2011, is amended to read as follows:
   2.  The board’s powers and duties shall be the same as those provided in chapter 50 for precinct election officials in regular precinct polling places. However, the election board of the special precinct shall receive from the commissioner and count all absentee ballots for all precincts in the county; when two or more political subdivisions in the county hold elections simultaneously the special precinct election board shall count absentee ballots cast in all of the elections so held. The tally list shall be recorded on forms prescribed by the state commissioner.  The board shall also record a separate tally of the votes for each candidate by resident precinct of the absentee voter. The separate tally list shall be on a form prescribed by the state commissioner and, upon request, shall be made available for public inspection.
EXPLANATION
   This bill provides that the absentee ballot and special voters precinct board shall record a separate tally of votes by resident precinct of the absentee voter. The separate tally shall be available for public inspection upon request.