House
Study
Bill
591
-
Introduced
SENATE/HOUSE
FILE
_____
BY
(PROPOSED
SECRETARY
OF
STATE
BILL)
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
an
absentee
ballot
marking
pilot
program
for
1
voters
with
disabilities.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
TLSB
5343XD
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90
ss/ns
S.F.
_____
H.F.
_____
Section
1.
NEW
SECTION
.
53.5
Absentee
ballot
marking
pilot
1
program.
2
1.
The
state
commissioner
may
adopt
rules
pursuant
3
to
chapter
17A
to
implement
a
pilot
program
to
establish
4
procedures
to
enable
a
voter
with
a
disability
that
prevents
5
the
voter
from
marking
a
ballot
by
hand
to
independently
and
6
privately
mark
a
ballot
or
use
an
electronic
voting
device
that
7
produces
a
paper
record
using
nonvisual
access,
low-vision
8
access,
or
other
assistive
technology
in
order
for
the
voter
to
9
complete
an
absentee
ballot
by
mail
pursuant
to
this
chapter.
10
The
procedures
must
include
a
method
by
which
a
voter
with
a
11
disability
that
prevents
the
voter
from
marking
a
ballot
by
12
hand
to
request
an
absentee
ballot
by
mail.
13
2.
If
the
pilot
program
under
this
section
is
not
14
implemented
statewide,
the
pilot
program
must
include
15
sufficient
counties,
as
determined
by
the
state
commissioner,
16
to
conclude
whether
the
program
is
feasible
statewide.
17
3.
The
state
commissioner
shall
file
a
report
with
the
18
general
assembly
by
December
31
of
each
year
regarding
the
19
pilot
program
established
under
this
section.
20
4.
This
section
is
repealed
July
1,
2027.
21
EXPLANATION
22
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
23
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
24
This
bill
allows
the
state
commissioner
of
elections
to
25
adopt
rules
to
establish
a
pilot
program
to
allow
voters
with
26
disabilities
that
prevent
such
voters
from
marking
ballots
by
27
hand
to
independently
and
privately
mark
absentee
ballots,
28
including
by
the
use
of
assistive
technology.
The
bill
29
requires
that
the
program
include
a
method
by
which
such
voters
30
can
request
an
absentee
ballot
by
mail.
31
If
the
pilot
program
under
the
bill
is
not
established
32
statewide,
the
bill
requires
that
the
program
be
established
33
in
sufficient
counties
to
allow
the
state
commissioner
34
of
elections
to
determine
whether
the
program
is
feasible
35
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H.F.
_____
statewide.
The
bill
requires
the
state
commissioner
of
1
elections
to
file
a
report
with
the
general
assembly
by
2
December
31
of
each
year
regarding
the
pilot
program
3
established
under
the
bill.
4
The
pilot
program
is
repealed
on
July
1,
2027.
5
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