House File 2004 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2004 BY PAULSEN A BILL FOR An Act requiring that county recorders be elected on a 1 nonpartisan basis. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 5123YH (3) 86 aw/sc

H.F. 2004 Section 1. Section 39.17, Code 2016, is amended to read as 1 follows: 2 39.17 County officers. 3 1. There shall be elected in each county at the general 4 election to be held in the year 1976 and every four years 5 thereafter, an auditor and a sheriff, each to hold office for a 6 term of four years. 7 2. There shall be elected in each county at the general 8 election to be held in 1974 and each four years thereafter, a 9 treasurer , a recorder and a county attorney who shall , each to 10 hold office for a term of four years. 11 Sec. 2. Section 39.21, Code 2016, is amended to read as 12 follows: 13 39.21 Nonpartisan offices. 14 1. There shall be elected at each general election, on a 15 nonpartisan basis, the following officers: 16 1. a. County public hospital trustees as required by 17 section 347.25 . 18 2. b. Soil and water conservation district commissioners 19 as required by section 161A.5 . 20 3. c. County agricultural extension council members as 21 provided in section 176A.6 . 22 4. d. Township officers as provided in section 39.22, 23 subsection 2 . 24 2. There shall be elected in each county at the general 25 election to be held in the year 2018 and every four years 26 thereafter, on a nonpartisan basis, a recorder, to hold office 27 for a term of four years. 28 Sec. 3. Section 69.14A, subsection 2, unnumbered paragraph 29 1, Code 2016, is amended to read as follows: 30 A vacancy in any of the offices listed in section 39.17 or 31 in the office of recorder shall be filled by one of the two 32 following procedures: 33 Sec. 4. Section 69.14A, subsection 4, Code 2016, is amended 34 to read as follows: 35 -1- LSB 5123YH (3) 86 aw/sc 1/ 2

H.F. 2004 4. Notwithstanding subsections 1 and 2 , if a nomination 1 has been made at the primary election for an a partisan office 2 in which a vacancy has been filled by appointment, the office 3 shall be filled at the next general election, and not at any 4 special election in the same political subdivision. 5 Sec. 5. Section 331.601, subsection 1, Code 2016, is amended 6 to read as follows: 7 1. The office of recorder is an a nonpartisan elective 8 office except that if a vacancy occurs in the office, a 9 successor shall be elected or appointed to the unexpired term 10 as provided in chapter 69 section 69.14A . 11 EXPLANATION 12 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 13 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 14 This bill provides that county recorders shall be elected 15 on a nonpartisan basis beginning with the general election in 16 November 2018. The bill also provides that vacancies in the 17 office of recorder shall be filled in the manner provided for 18 partisan county offices. 19 -2- LSB 5123YH (3) 86 aw/sc 2/ 2