Senate File 351 - Introduced SENATE FILE 351 BY SALMON A BILL FOR An Act relating to the conduct of elections, including 1 challenges to voter registrations by persons in other 2 counties and the preparation of lists of registered voters, 3 and making penalties applicable. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 2241XS (2) 90 ss/ns

S.F. 351 Section 1. Section 9E.6, subsection 1, paragraph b, Code 1 2023, is amended to read as follows: 2 b. A program participant’s voter registration shall not 3 be open to challenge under section 48A.14 or 48A.14A based on 4 participation in the program and use of a designated address. 5 Sec. 2. Section 39A.3, subsection 1, paragraph a, 6 subparagraph (4), Code 2023, is amended to read as follows: 7 (4) Files a challenge containing false information under 8 section 48A.14 , 48A.14A, or 49.79 . 9 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION . 48A.14A Challenges of voter 10 registrations —— other counties. 11 1. The registration of a registered voter may be challenged 12 by another registered voter of a county in which the challenged 13 registered voter does not live subject to the conditions 14 and limitations of this section. A challenge shall be a 15 statement in writing to the commissioner of the county where 16 the challenged registrant lives alleging a reason under 17 section 48A.14, subsection 1, that the challenged registrant’s 18 registration should not have been accepted or should be 19 canceled. 20 2. Except as otherwise provided in this section, a challenge 21 submitted pursuant to this section shall comply with section 22 48A.14. 23 3. The state registrar of voters shall create a form to 24 allow a registered voter to challenge the registration of a 25 registered voter in another county pursuant to this section 26 without the assistance of an attorney. 27 Sec. 4. Section 48A.15, subsection 1, Code 2023, is amended 28 to read as follows: 29 1. A challenge is valid if it meets the criteria in section 30 48A.14, subsections 1, 2, and 3 , or section 48A.14A, as 31 applicable . 32 Sec. 5. Section 48A.16, Code 2023, is amended by adding the 33 following new subsection: 34 NEW SUBSECTION . 3. This section does not require a 35 -1- LSB 2241XS (2) 90 ss/ns 1/ 3

S.F. 351 challenger who has submitted a challenge pursuant to section 1 48A.14A to attend a hearing held pursuant to subsection 1. 2 Sec. 6. Section 48A.38, Code 2023, is amended by adding the 3 following new subsection: 4 NEW SUBSECTION . 4. The registrar shall not impose any 5 requirements other than those in this section and section 6 48A.39 on the preparation of a list of registered voters and 7 shall immediately prepare a list of registered voters upon the 8 satisfaction of the requirements of this section and section 9 48A.39. 10 Sec. 7. Section 48A.39, Code 2023, is amended to read as 11 follows: 12 48A.39 Use of registration information. 13 Information about individual registrants obtained from 14 voter registration records shall be used only to request the 15 registrant’s vote at an election, or for another genuine 16 political purpose, or for a bona fide official purpose by 17 an elected official, or for bona fide political research, 18 but shall not be used for any commercial purposes. For the 19 purposes of this section, “bona fide political research” 20 includes work by an individual to research and help maintain 21 the voter registration database. 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 the conduct of elections, including 26 challenges to voter registration and the preparation of lists 27 of registered voters. 28 The bill allows a registered voter to challenge the voter 29 registration of a person in another county. The challenge 30 shall substantially comply with requirements under current law 31 for a challenger who lives in the same county as a challenged 32 registrant. The bill requires the state registrar of voters 33 to create a form to allow a registered voter to challenge the 34 registration of a registered voter in another county under the 35 -2- LSB 2241XS (2) 90 ss/ns 2/ 3

S.F. 351 bill without the assistance of an attorney. The bill does not 1 require the challenger to attend a hearing held regarding the 2 challenge. 3 A person who files a challenge containing false information 4 commits an aggravated misdemeanor. An aggravated misdemeanor 5 is punishable by confinement for no more than two years and a 6 fine of at least $855 but not more than $8,540. 7 The bill prohibits the state registrar of voters from 8 imposing additional requirements on the preparation of a list 9 of registered voters other than those in Code sections 48A.38 10 (lists of voters) and 48A.39 (use of registration information) 11 and requires the state registrar of voters to immediately 12 prepare a list of registered voters upon the satisfaction of 13 those requirements. The bill defines “bona fide political 14 research”, which is a permissible use of information obtained 15 from voter registration records under current law, to include 16 work by an individual to research and help maintain the voter 17 registration database. 18 -3- LSB 2241XS (2) 90 ss/ns 3/ 3