HF 519 (LSB 2488HH (3) 89)

HOUSE FILE 519

BY  ANDERSON, HANSEN, and COHOON

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to the election of presidential electors.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 50.45, Code 2021, is amended to read as follows:
   50.45  Canvass public —— result determined.
   1.  All canvasses of tally lists shall be public, and the persons having the greatest number of votes shall be declared elected, except as provided in subsection 2. When a public measure has been submitted to the electors, the proposition shall be declared to have been adopted if the vote cast in favor of the question is greater than fifty percent of the total vote cast in favor and against the question, unless laws pertaining specifically to the public measure election establish a higher percentage of a favorable vote. All ballots cast and not counted as a vote in favor or against the proposition shall not be used in computing the total vote cast in favor and against the proposition.
   2.  The persons declared elected to the position of presidential elector shall be as follows:
   a.  Two persons shall be declared elected who were selected by the political party, or group of petitioners, of the candidates for president and vice president who have the greatest number of votes statewide.
   b.  One person shall be declared elected from each congressional district who was selected by the political party, or group of petitioners, of the candidates for president and vice president who have the greatest number of votes in that congressional district.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill relates to the election of presidential electors. The bill changes the allocation of presidential electors such that two are declared elected from the political party, or group of petitioners, of the candidates for president and vice president who received the greatest number of votes statewide and one elector is declared elected from each congressional district who was selected by the political party, or group of petitioners, of the candidates for president and vice president having the greatest number of votes in that congressional district. Under current law, all presidential electors are allocated to the statewide winner.