House
File
29
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
29
BY
HUNTER
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
authorizing
certain
cities
to
conduct
city
elections
by
1
absentee
ballot.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
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Section
1.
Section
376.1,
Code
2015,
is
amended
to
read
as
1
follows:
2
376.1
City
election
held
——
absentee
ballot
elections
3
authorized
.
4
1.
A
city
shall
hold
a
regular
city
election
on
the
first
5
Tuesday
after
the
first
Monday
in
November
of
each
odd-numbered
6
year.
A
city
shall
hold
regular,
special,
primary,
or
runoff
7
city
elections
as
provided
by
state
law.
8
2.
The
mayor
or
council
shall
give
notice
of
any
special
9
election
to
the
county
commissioner
of
elections.
The
county
10
commissioner
of
elections
shall
publish
notice
of
any
city
11
election
and
conduct
the
election
pursuant
to
the
provisions
of
12
chapters
39
to
53
,
except
as
otherwise
specifically
provided
13
in
chapters
362
to
392
.
The
results
of
any
election
shall
be
14
canvassed
by
the
county
board
of
supervisors
and
certified
15
by
the
county
commissioner
of
elections
to
the
mayor
and
the
16
council
of
the
city
for
which
the
election
is
held.
17
3.
a.
The
council
of
a
city
with
a
population
of
two
18
hundred
or
less
according
to
the
most
recent
federal
decennial
19
census
may
adopt
an
ordinance
providing
that
elections
be
20
conducted
by
absentee
ballot.
If
the
city
council
adopts
21
such
an
ordinance,
the
clerk
shall
notify
the
commissioner
22
of
elections
of
the
adoption
of
the
ordinance,
and
the
23
commissioner
shall
mail
an
absentee
ballot
application
form
24
by
forwardable
mail
to
each
registered
voter
within
the
city
25
who
is
on
active
status
pursuant
to
section
48A.37
no
fewer
26
than
twenty-five
days
before
each
regular
city
election
or
27
special
election
for
the
city.
The
commissioner
shall
also
28
enclose
a
postage
paid
return
envelope
and
a
notice
in
the
form
29
prescribed
by
the
state
commissioner
informing
the
voter
that
30
voting
in
person
on
election
day
will
also
be
available
at
the
31
commissioner’s
office
during
the
time
the
polls
are
open.
The
32
commissioner
may
designate
one
additional
site
as
an
election
33
day
polling
place
for
a
city
that
adopts
an
ordinance
pursuant
34
to
this
subsection.
The
location
of
the
additional
polling
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place
shall
be
included
in
the
notice
to
the
voter.
1
b.
The
additional
polling
place
designated
under
this
2
subsection
is
subject
to
the
requirements
of
section
49.21
3
relating
to
accessibility
to
persons
with
disabilities
4
and
relating
to
the
posting
of
signs.
The
location
of
the
5
additional
polling
place
shall
be
published
by
the
county
6
commissioner
of
elections
as
required
by
section
49.53.
7
c.
The
provisions
of
chapter
53,
insofar
as
applicable,
8
shall
apply
to
absentee
ballot
elections
authorized
under
this
9
subsection.
10
d.
The
county
commissioner
of
elections
conducting
an
11
election
pursuant
to
this
subsection
shall
submit
a
report
12
to
the
state
commissioner
of
elections
within
sixty
days
13
following
the
election.
The
report
shall
include
information
14
on
the
number
of
voters
who
were
sent
an
absentee
ballot,
the
15
number
of
returned
absentee
ballots,
the
number
of
voters
who
16
cast
ballots
at
the
county
commissioner’s
office,
whether
17
an
additional
site
was
made
available
as
a
polling
place
18
on
election
day
pursuant
to
paragraph
“a”
,
and,
if
such
an
19
additional
site
was
made
available,
the
number
of
voters
who
20
cast
ballots
at
that
site,
and
any
obstacles
encountered
in
the
21
voting
process
for
the
election.
The
state
commissioner
shall
22
submit
a
copy
of
the
report
to
the
chairpersons
and
ranking
23
members
of
the
general
assembly’s
standing
committees
on
state
24
government
within
ten
days
following
the
receipt
of
the
report.
25
EXPLANATION
26
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
27
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
28
This
bill
authorizes
certain
cities
to
conduct
city
29
elections
by
absentee
ballot.
30
The
bill
allows
cities
with
populations
of
200
or
less
to
31
adopt
an
ordinance
providing
that
city
elections
be
conducted
32
by
absentee
ballot.
The
bill
requires
the
county
commissioner
33
of
elections
responsible
for
conducting
elections
for
such
a
34
city
to
mail
an
absentee
ballot
application
form
by
forwardable
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29
mail
to
each
active
status
registered
voter
within
the
city
1
no
fewer
than
25
days
before
each
regular
city
election
or
2
special
election
for
that
city.
The
bill
requires
that
the
3
county
commissioner
of
elections
also
enclose
a
postage
paid
4
return
envelope
and
a
notice
that
in-person
voting
will
also
5
be
available
at
the
county
commissioner’s
office
on
the
day
of
6
the
election
and,
if
applicable,
the
location
of
the
additional
7
polling
place.
The
bill
allows
the
county
commissioner
to
8
designate
one
additional
election
day
polling
place
for
such
9
cities.
10
The
bill
further
requires
the
county
commissioner
of
11
elections
to
submit
a
report
on
the
city
election
to
the
12
state
commissioner
of
elections
within
60
days
following
the
13
city
election.
The
bill
further
requires
that
the
state
14
commissioner
submit
a
copy
of
the
report
to
the
chairpersons
15
and
ranking
members
of
the
general
assembly’s
standing
16
committees
on
state
government.
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