House
File
236
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
236
BY
JACOBY
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
the
absentee
voting
period.
1
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
2
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236
Section
1.
Section
53.8,
subsection
1,
paragraph
a,
1
unnumbered
paragraph
1,
Code
2019,
is
amended
to
read
as
2
follows:
3
Upon
receipt
of
an
application
for
an
absentee
ballot
4
and
immediately
after
the
absentee
ballots
are
printed,
5
but
not
more
than
twenty-nine
days
before
the
election,
the
6
commissioner
shall
mail
an
absentee
ballot
to
the
applicant
7
within
twenty-four
hours,
except
as
otherwise
provided
in
8
subsection
3
.
The
absentee
ballot
shall
be
sent
to
the
9
registered
voter
by
one
of
the
following
methods:
10
Sec.
2.
Section
53.10,
subsection
1,
Code
2019,
is
amended
11
to
read
as
follows:
12
1.
Not
more
than
twenty-nine
forty-five
days
before
the
13
date
of
the
primary
election
or
the
general
election,
the
14
commissioner
shall
provide
facilities
for
absentee
voting
in
15
person
at
the
commissioner’s
office.
This
service
shall
also
16
be
provided
for
other
elections
as
soon
as
the
ballots
are
17
ready,
but
in
no
case
shall
absentee
ballots
be
available
under
18
this
section
more
than
twenty-nine
forty-five
days
before
an
19
election.
20
Sec.
3.
Section
53.11,
subsection
1,
paragraph
a,
Code
2019,
21
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
22
a.
Not
more
than
twenty-nine
forty-five
days
before
the
23
date
of
an
election,
satellite
absentee
voting
stations
may
be
24
established
throughout
the
cities
and
county
at
the
direction
25
of
the
commissioner
and
shall
be
established
upon
receipt
26
of
a
petition
signed
by
not
less
than
one
hundred
eligible
27
electors
requesting
that
a
satellite
absentee
voting
station
28
be
established
at
a
location
to
be
described
on
the
petition.
29
However,
if
a
special
election
is
scheduled
in
the
county
on
a
30
date
that
falls
between
the
date
of
the
regular
city
election
31
and
the
date
of
the
city
runoff
election,
the
commissioner
is
32
not
required
to
establish
a
satellite
absentee
voting
station
33
for
the
city
runoff
election.
34
Sec.
4.
Section
53.42,
Code
2019,
is
amended
to
read
as
35
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236
follows:
1
53.42
Voting
in
person
in
commissioner’s
office.
2
Notwithstanding
the
provision
as
to
time
found
in
section
3
53.10
,
any
qualified
voter
in
the
armed
forces
of
the
United
4
States
may
personally
appear
in
the
office
of
the
commissioner
5
of
the
county
of
the
voter’s
residence
and
there
vote
an
absent
6
voter’s
ballot
at
any
time
not
earlier
than
forty
forty-five
7
days
before
the
primary
or
general
election,
as
the
case
may
8
be.
9
EXPLANATION
10
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
11
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
12
This
bill
changes
the
start
of
the
absentee
voting
period
13
from
not
more
than
29
days
before
the
date
of
an
election
to
not
14
more
than
45
days
before
the
date
of
an
election.
The
bill
also
15
changes
the
start
of
the
absentee
voting
period
for
qualified
16
voters
in
the
armed
forces
from
not
more
than
40
days
before
17
the
date
of
an
election
to
not
more
than
45
days
before
the
date
18
of
an
election.
19
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