Senate File 60 - Introduced SENATE FILE 60 BY CHELGREN A BILL FOR An Act relating to the option of voting straight party. 1 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 2 TLSB 1465XS (2) 87 aw/sc

S.F. 60 Section 1. Section 49.37, subsection 1, Code 2017, 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. Offices shall be arranged in groups. Partisan offices, 23 nonpartisan offices, judges, and public measures shall be 24 separated by a distinct line appearing on the ballot. 25 Sec. 2. Section 49.37, Code 2017, is amended by adding the 26 following new subsection: 27 NEW SUBSECTION . 1A. Offices shall be arranged in groups. 28 Partisan offices, nonpartisan offices, judges, and public 29 measures shall be separated by a distinct line appearing on the 30 ballot. 31 Sec. 3. Section 49.57, subsection 2, Code 2017, is amended 32 to read as follows: 33 2. In the area of the general election ballot for straight 34 party voting, the party or organization names shall be printed 35 -1- LSB 1465XS (2) 87 aw/sc 1/ 3

S.F. 60 in upper case and lower case letters using a uniform font size 1 for each political party or nonparty political organization. 2 The font size shall be not less than twelve point type. After 3 the name of each candidate for a partisan office the name of 4 the candidate’s political party shall be printed in at least 5 six point type. The names of political parties and nonparty 6 political organizations may be abbreviated on the remainder of 7 the ballot if both the full name and the abbreviation appear 8 in the “Straight Party” and “Other Political Party” areas of 9 the ballot. 10 Sec. 4. Section 49.98, Code 2017, is amended to read as 11 follows: 12 49.98 Counting ballots. 13 The ballots shall be counted according to the voters’ marks 14 on them as provided in sections 49.92 to 49.97 and 49.93 , 15 and not otherwise. If, for any reason, it is impossible 16 to determine from a ballot, as marked, the choice of the 17 voter for any office, the vote for that office shall not be 18 counted. When there is a conflict between a straight party or 19 organization vote for one political party or nonparty political 20 organization and the vote cast by marking the voting target 21 next to the name of a candidate for another political party 22 or nonparty political organization on the ballot, the mark 23 next to the name of the candidate shall be held to control, 24 and the straight party or organization vote in that case shall 25 not apply as to that office. A ballot shall be rejected if 26 the voter used a mark to identify the voter’s ballot. For 27 each voting system, the The state commissioner shall, by rule 28 adopted pursuant to chapter 17A , develop uniform definitions of 29 what constitutes a vote. 30 Sec. 5. REPEAL. Sections 49.94, 49.95, 49.96, and 49.97, 31 Code 2017, are repealed. 32 EXPLANATION 33 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 34 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 35 -2- LSB 1465XS (2) 87 aw/sc 2/ 3

S.F. 60 This bill eliminates the option of voting straight party 1 for all candidates of a political party or nonparty political 2 organization. The bill applies to the general election and 3 elections at which more than one partisan office is to be 4 filled. 5 -3- LSB 1465XS (2) 87 aw/sc 3/ 3