Senate File 61 - Introduced SENATE FILE 61 BY BISIGNANO A BILL FOR An Act relating to voter registration and voting by lowering 1 the age at which a person may register to vote and the age 2 at which a registered voter is eligible to vote in a primary 3 election and including effective date provisions. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 1424XS (3) 87 aw/sc

S.F. 61 Section 1. Section 48A.5, subsection 2, paragraph c, Code 1 2017, is amended to read as follows: 2 c. (1) Be at least eighteen years of age. However, 3 for purposes of voting in the primary election, an eligible 4 elector shall be at least eighteen years of age on the date of 5 the respective general election or city election. Completed 6 registration forms shall be accepted from registrants who are 7 at least seventeen and one-half years of age ; however, . For 8 an election other than a primary election, the registration 9 shall not be effective until the registrant reaches the age 10 of eighteen. The commissioner of registration shall ensure 11 that the birth date shown on the registration form is at 12 least seventeen and one-half years earlier than the date the 13 registration is processed. 14 (2) A registrant who is at least seventeen and one-half 15 years of age and who will be eighteen by the date of a pending 16 election is a registered voter for the pending election for 17 purposes of chapter 53 . For purposes of voting in a primary 18 election under chapter 43, a registrant who will be at least 19 eighteen years of age by the date of the respective general 20 election or city election is a registered voter for the pending 21 primary election. 22 Sec. 2. Section 48A.11, subsection 3, Code 2017, is amended 23 to read as follows: 24 3. The following questions and statement regarding 25 eligibility shall be included on forms that may be used for 26 registration by mail: 27 [1] “Are you a citizen of the United States of America?” 28 [2] “Will you be eighteen years of age on or before election 29 day?” 30 [3] “If you checked ‘no’ in response to either of these 31 questions, do not complete this form.” form. However, for 32 purposes of voting in a primary election, you may complete this 33 form if you are a citizen of the United States of America and 34 you will be at least eighteen years of age on the date of the 35 -1- LSB 1424XS (3) 87 aw/sc 1/ 5

S.F. 61 general election.” 1 Sec. 3. Section 48A.14, subsection 1, paragraph b, Code 2 2017, is amended to read as follows: 3 b. The challenged registrant is less than seventeen and 4 one-half years of age. 5 Sec. 4. Section 48A.23, subsection 1, Code 2017, is amended 6 to read as follows: 7 1. At least twice during each school year, the board of 8 directors of each school district operating a high school and 9 the authorities in charge of each accredited nonpublic school 10 shall offer the opportunity to register to vote to each student 11 who is at least seventeen and one-half years of age. 12 Sec. 5. Section 48A.26, subsection 9, Code 2017, is amended 13 to read as follows: 14 9. When a person who is at least seventeen and one-half 15 years of age but less than eighteen years of age registers 16 to vote, the commissioner shall maintain a record of the 17 registration so as to clearly indicate that it will not take 18 effect until the registrant’s eighteenth birthday and that the 19 person is registered and qualifies to vote at any election 20 held on or after that date. However, the commissioner shall 21 indicate that the person is registered and qualifies to vote 22 at the pending primary election if the person will be at least 23 eighteen years of age on the date of the respective general 24 election or city election. 25 Sec. 6. Section 48A.31, Code 2017, is amended to read as 26 follows: 27 48A.31 Deceased persons record. 28 The state registrar of vital statistics shall transmit 29 or cause to be transmitted to the state registrar of voters, 30 once each calendar quarter, a certified list of all persons 31 seventeen and one-half years of age and older in the state 32 whose deaths have been reported to the bureau of vital records 33 of the Iowa department of public health since the previous list 34 of decedents was certified to the state registrar of voters. 35 -2- LSB 1424XS (3) 87 aw/sc 2/ 5

S.F. 61 The list shall be submitted according to the specifications 1 of the state registrar of voters. The commissioner shall, in 2 the month following the end of a calendar quarter, run the 3 statewide voter registration system’s matching program to 4 determine whether a listed decedent was registered to vote in 5 the county and shall immediately cancel the registration of any 6 person named on the list of decedents. 7 Sec. 7. Section 49.79, subsection 2, paragraph b, Code 2017, 8 is amended to read as follows: 9 b. The For an election other than a primary election, the 10 challenged person is less than eighteen years of age as of the 11 date of the election at which the person is offering to vote. 12 For a primary election, the challenged person will be less than 13 eighteen years of age on the date of the respective general 14 election or city election. 15 Sec. 8. Section 49.81, subsection 4, paragraph a, Code 2017, 16 is amended to read as follows: 17 a. (1) The individual envelopes used for each provisional 18 ballot cast pursuant to subsection 1 shall have space for the 19 voter’s name, date of birth, and address and shall have printed 20 on them the following: 21 I am a United States citizen, at least eighteen years of 22 age or, for purposes of voting in a primary election, I 23 will be at least eighteen years of age on the date of the 24 respective general election or city election . I believe I am 25 a registered voter of this county and I am eligible to vote in 26 this election. 27 ............. 28 (signature of voter) (date) 29 (2) The following information is to be provided by the 30 precinct election official: 31 Reason for casting provisional ballot: 32 ................ . 33 ................ . 34 .......... . 35 -3- LSB 1424XS (3) 87 aw/sc 3/ 5

S.F. 61 (signature of precinct 1 election official) 2 Sec. 9. Section 280.9A, subsection 3, Code 2017, is amended 3 to read as follows: 4 3. At least twice during each school year, the board of 5 directors of each local public school district operating a 6 high school and the authorities in charge of each accredited 7 nonpublic school operating a high school shall offer the 8 opportunity to register to vote to each student who is at least 9 seventeen and one-half years of age, as required by section 10 48A.23 . 11 Sec. 10. Section 602.8102, subsection 15, Code 2017, is 12 amended to read as follows: 13 15. Monthly, notify the county commissioner of registration 14 and the state registrar of voters of persons seventeen and 15 one-half years of age and older who have been convicted of a 16 felony during the preceding calendar month or persons who at 17 any time during the preceding calendar month have been legally 18 declared to be a person who is incompetent to vote as that term 19 is defined in section 48A.2 . 20 Sec. 11. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect January 1, 21 2018. 22 EXPLANATION 23 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 24 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 25 This bill relates to voter registration and voting. 26 Current law allows an eligible elector who is at least 17 27 and one-half years of age to register to vote, but, except 28 for purposes of requesting and voting an absentee ballot, the 29 registration does not become effective until the registrant 30 turns 18 years of age. The bill allows an otherwise eligible 31 elector to register to vote at the age of 17. 32 The bill also allows a registered voter who is not 18 years 33 of age to vote in a primary election if the voter will be at 34 least 18 years of age on the date of the respective general 35 -4- LSB 1424XS (3) 87 aw/sc 4/ 5

S.F. 61 election or city election. 1 The bill makes additional conforming changes. 2 The bill takes effect January 1, 2018. 3 -5- LSB 1424XS (3) 87 aw/sc 5/ 5