H.F. _____ Section 1. Section 49.73, subsection 2, Code 2019, is 1 amended to read as follows: 2 2. The commissioner shall not shorten voting hours for any 3 election if there is filed in the commissioner’s office, at 4 least twenty-five days before the election, a petition signed 5 by at least fifty eligible electors of the school district 6 or city, as the case may be, requesting that the polls be 7 opened not later than 7:00 a.m. All polling places where the 8 candidates of or any public question submitted by any one 9 political subdivision are being voted upon shall be opened at 10 the same hour, except that this requirement shall not apply 11 to merged areas established under chapter 260C . The hours at 12 which the respective precinct polling places are to open shall 13 not be changed after publication of the notice required by 14 section 49.53 . The polling places shall be closed at 9:00 p.m. 15 for state primary and general elections and other partisan 16 elections, and for any other election held concurrently 17 therewith, and at 8:00 p.m. for all other elections. 18 EXPLANATION 19 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 20 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 21 This bill changes the closing time of polls to 8:00 p.m. for 22 all elections. Under current law, polling places close at 9:00 23 p.m. for state primary and general elections, other partisan 24 elections, and any other election held concurrently with such 25 elections. 26 -1- LSB 2445HC (2) 88 ss/jh 1/ 1