HSB 281 (LSB 2455YC (6) 91)

HOUSE FILE _____ 

BY  (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT BILL BY CHAIRPERSON BLOOMINGDALE)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to the conduct of elections, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

DIVISION I
CANDIDATE ELIGIBILITY OBJECTIONS

    Section 1.  Section 43.18, subsection 9, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   9.  A For a candidate for an office other than a federal office, a statement that the candidate is aware that the candidate is disqualified from holding office if the candidate has been convicted of a felony or other infamous crime and the candidate’s rights have not been restored by the governor or by the president of the United States.
    Sec. 2.  Section 43.24, subsection 1, Code 2025, is amended by adding the following new paragraph:
   NEW PARAGRAPH.  c.  Objections to the eligibility of a candidate for a federal office shall not be sustained unless the objection is limited to the legal sufficiency of the nomination petition or certificate of nomination, or to the residency, age, or citizenship requirements as described in the Constitution of the United States.
    Sec. 3.  Section 44.3, subsection 2, paragraph i, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   i.  A For a candidate for an office other than a federal office, a statement that the candidate is aware that the candidate is disqualified from holding office if the candidate has been convicted of a felony or other infamous crime and the candidate’s rights have not been restored by the governor or by the president of the United States.
    Sec. 4.  Section 44.6, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   44.6  Hearing before state commissioner.
   Objections filed with the state commissioner shall be considered by the secretary of state and auditor of state and attorney general, and a majority decision shall be final. However, if the objection is to the certificate of nomination of one or more of the above named officers, the officer or officers objected to shall not pass upon the objection, but their places shall be filled, respectively, by the treasurer of state, the governor, and the secretary of agriculture. Objections relating to incorrect or incomplete information for information that is required under section 44.3 shall be sustained.  Objections to the eligibility of a candidate for a federal office shall not be sustained unless the objection is limited to the legal sufficiency of the nomination petition or certificate of nomination, or to the residency, age, or citizenship requirements as described in the Constitution of the United States.
    Sec. 5.  Section 45.3, subsection 9, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   9.  A For a candidate for an office other than a federal office, a statement that the candidate is aware that the candidate is disqualified from holding office if the candidate has been convicted of a felony or other infamous crime and the candidate’s rights have not been restored by the governor or by the president of the United States.
    Sec. 6.  Section 54.5, Code 2025, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  5.  An objection to a nomination made under this section on any grounds other than the legal sufficiency of the certificate of nomination shall not be sustained. The certificate of nomination shall be presumed valid.
    Sec. 7.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  This division of this Act, being deemed of immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment.
DIVISION II
RANKED CHOICE VOTING

    Sec. 8.  Section 49.93, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   49.93  Number of votes for each office.
   1.  For an office to which one person is to be elected, a voter shall not vote for more than one candidate. If two or more persons are to be elected to an office, the voter shall vote for no more than the number of persons to be elected. If a person votes for more than the permitted number of candidates, the vote for that office shall not count. Valid votes cast on the rest of the ballot shall be counted.
   2.  a.  An election in this state shall not be conducted using ranked choice voting or instant runoff voting.
   b.  For the purposes of this section, “ranked choice voting” or “instant runoff voting” means a method of casting and tabulating votes in which a voter ranks candidates in order of preference, tabulation of ballots proceeds in rounds such that in each round either a candidate is elected or the candidate receiving the fewest votes is defeated, votes are transferred from elected or defeated candidates to a voter’s next-ranked candidate in order of preference, and tabulation ends when a candidate receives the majority of votes cast or the number of candidates elected equals the number of offices to be filled, as applicable.
    Sec. 9.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  This division of this Act takes effect January 1, 2026.
DIVISION III
PERSONS PERMITTED IN VOTING BOOTHS

    Sec. 10.  Section 49.88, subsection 3, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   3.  A person standing for election on the ballot before a voter shall not occupy commits a violation of this section by occupying the voting booth with the voter, including to assist the voter.
    Sec. 11.  Section 49.90, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   49.90  Assisting voter.
   1.  Any voter who may declare upon oath that the voter is blind, cannot read the English language, or is, by reason of any physical disability other than intoxication, unable to cast a vote without assistance, shall, upon request, be assisted by the two officers as provided in section 49.89, or alternatively by any other person the voter may select in casting the vote, except that the voter shall not select a person standing for election on the ballot. The officers, or the person selected by the voter, shall cast the vote of the voter requiring assistance, and shall thereafter give no information regarding the vote cast. If any elector because of a disability cannot enter the building where the polling place for the elector’s precinct of residence is located, the two officers shall take a paper ballot to the vehicle occupied by the elector with a disability and allow the elector to cast the ballot in the vehicle. Ballots cast by voters with disabilities shall be deposited in the regular ballot box, or inserted in the tabulating device, and counted in the usual manner.
   2.  A person standing for election on the ballot before a voter commits a violation of section 49.88 by occupying the voting booth with the voter.
    Sec. 12.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  This division of this Act takes effect January 1, 2026.
DIVISION IV
VOTER REGISTRATION DATABASE PILOT PROGRAM

    Sec. 13.  NEW SECTION.  47.7A  Statewide voter registration database verification pilot program.
   1.  A statewide voter registration database verification pilot program is established within the office of the state registrar as follows:
   a.  The state registrar shall contract with a third-party vendor to develop or provide a program to allow the state registrar to verify the status of records in the statewide voter registration file and identify ineligible voters on an ongoing basis.
   b.  During the first quarter of the calendar year 2026, the state registrar shall utilize the program developed or provided by the third-party vendor to verify the status of records in the statewide voter registration file. The state registrar shall forward the results of the analysis to each county commissioner of registration prior to the date reports are required to be submitted pursuant to section 48A.40. 
   c.  The state registrar shall evaluate the efficacy and cost of the pilot program as compared to the current method of verifying the list of voters in the statewide voter registration file.
   2.  This section is repealed December 31, 2028.
DIVISION V
COUNTY HOSPITAL BOARD OF TRUSTEES

    Sec. 14.  Section 347.9, subsection 3, Code 2025, is amended by striking the subsection.
    Sec. 15.  RETROACTIVE APPLICABILITY.  This division of this Act applies retroactively to persons elected to a county hospital board of trustees on or after January 1, 2024.
DIVISION VI
POLITICAL PARTY —— DEFINITION

    Sec. 16.  Section 43.2, subsection 1, paragraph b, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   b.  “Political party” shall mean a party which, at the last preceding general election, cast for its candidate for president of the United States or for governor, as the case may be, at least two ten percent of the total vote cast for all candidates for that office at that election. It shall be the responsibility of the state commissioner to determine whether any organization claiming to be a political party qualifies as such under this paragraph.
    Sec. 17.  Section 43.63, subsection 1, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   1.  Upon receipt of the abstracts of votes from the counties, the secretary of state shall immediately open the envelopes and canvass the results for all offices. The secretary of state shall invite to attend the canvass one representative from each political party which, at the last preceding general election, cast for its candidate for president of the United States or for governor, as the case may be, at least two ten percent of the total vote cast for all candidates for that office at that election, as determined by the secretary of state. The secretary of state shall notify the chairperson of each political party of the time of the canvass. However, the presence of a representative from a political party is not necessary for the canvass to proceed.
    Sec. 18.  Section 50.36, subsection 2, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   2.  The secretary of state shall invite to attend the canvass one representative from each political party which, at the last preceding general election, cast for its candidate for president of the United States or for governor, as the case may be, at least two ten percent of the total vote cast for all candidates for that office at that election, as determined by the secretary of state. The secretary of state shall notify the chairperson of each political party of the time of the canvass. However, the presence of a representative from a political party is not necessary for the canvass to proceed.
    Sec. 19.  Section 68B.2, subsection 13, paragraph b, subparagraph (1), Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   (1)  Officials and employees of a political party organized in the state of Iowa representing more than two ten percent of the total votes cast for governor in the last preceding general election, but only when representing the political party in an official capacity.
DIVISION VII
NOMINATION FILING DEADLINES

    Sec. 20.  Section 44.4, subsection 1, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   1.  a.  Nominations made pursuant to this chapter and chapter 45 which are required to be filed in the office of the state commissioner shall be filed in that office not more than ninety-nine days nor later than 5:00 p.m. on the eighty-first day before the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June in each even-numbered year. Nominations made for a special election called pursuant to section 69.14 shall be filed by 5:00 p.m. not less than twenty-five days before the date of an election called upon at least forty days’ notice and not less than fourteen days before the date of an election called upon at least eighteen days’ notice. Nominations made for a special election called pursuant to section 69.14A shall be filed by 5:00 p.m. not less than twenty-five days before the date of the election. Nominations made pursuant to this chapter and chapter 45 which are required to be filed in the office of the commissioner shall be filed in that office not more than ninety-two days nor later than 5:00 p.m. on the seventy-fourth day before the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June in each even-numbered year. Nominations made pursuant to this chapter or chapter 45 for city office shall be filed not more than seventy-two days nor later than 5:00 p.m. on the forty-seventh day before the city election with the county commissioner of elections responsible under section 47.2 for conducting elections held for the city, who shall process them as provided by law.
   b.  Notwithstanding paragraph “a”, nominations for president and vice president of the United States shall be filed in the office of the state commissioner not more than ninety-nine days nor later than 5:00 p.m. on the eighty-first day before the date of the general election to be held in November.
    Sec. 21.  Section 44.4, subsection 2, paragraph a, subparagraphs (1) and (2), Code 2025, are amended to read as follows:
   (1)  Those filed with the state commissioner, not less later than seventy-four seven days before after the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June in each even-numbered year, or for certificates of nomination filed under subsection 1, paragraph “b”, not less than seventy-four days before the date of the election.
   (2)  Those filed with the commissioner, not less later than sixty-seven seven days before after the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June in each even-numbered year, except as provided in subparagraph (3).
    Sec. 22.  Section 44.9, subsection 1, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   1.  In the office of the state commissioner, at least eighty-one days before the date of the election, or for withdrawals of nominations filed under section 44.4, subsection 1, paragraph “b”, at least seventy-six days before the date of election.
    Sec. 23.  Section 44.11, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   44.11  Vacancies filled.
   If a candidate named under this chapter withdraws or dies before the deadline established in section 44.9, declines a nomination, or if a certificate of nomination is held insufficient or inoperative by the officer with whom it is required to be filed, or in case any objection made to a certificate of nomination, or to the eligibility of any candidate named in the certificate, is sustained by the board appointed to determine such questions, the vacancy or vacancies may be filled by the convention, or caucus, or in such manner as such convention or caucus has previously provided. The vacancy or vacancies shall be filled not less than seventy-six days before the election in the case of nominations required to be filed with the state commissioner or not less than seventy-one days for nominations filed under section 44.4, subsection 1, paragraph “b”, not less than sixty-nine days before the election in the case of nominations required to be filed with the commissioner, not less than forty-two days before the election in the case of nominations required to be filed in the office of the school board secretary, and not less than forty-two days before the election in the case of nominations required to be filed with the commissioner for city elections.
DIVISION VIII
AFFIDAVITS OF CANDIDACY

    Sec. 24.  Section 43.18, Code 2025, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  10.  A statement that the candidate is aware that by filing this affidavit, the candidate is ineligible to appear on the same ballot for the same office other than as a candidate for the political party indicated on the affidavit.
    Sec. 25.  Section 43.67, subsection 2, Code 2025, is amended by adding the following new paragraph:
   NEW PARAGRAPH.  j.  A statement that the candidate is aware that by filing this affidavit, the candidate is ineligible to appear on the same ballot for the same office other than as a candidate for the political party indicated on the affidavit.
    Sec. 26.  Section 44.3, subsection 2, Code 2025, is amended by adding the following new paragraph:
   NEW PARAGRAPH.  j.  A statement that the candidate is aware that by filing this affidavit, the candidate is ineligible to appear on the same ballot for the same office other than as a candidate for the nonparty political organization indicated on the affidavit.
    Sec. 27.  Section 45.3, Code 2025, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  10.  A statement that the candidate is aware that by filing this affidavit, the candidate is ineligible to appear on the same ballot for the same office other than as a candidate nominated by petition.
DIVISION IX
VOTER REGISTRATION

    Sec. 28.  Section 47.7, subsection 2, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   2.  a.  On or before January 1, 2006, the The state registrar of voters shall implement in a uniform and nondiscriminatory manner, a single, uniform, official, centralized, interactive computerized statewide voter registration file defined, maintained, and administered at the state level that contains the name and registration information of every legally registered voter in the state and assigns a unique identifier to each legally registered voter in the state. The state voter registration system shall be coordinated with other agency databases within the state, including, but not limited to, state department of transportation driver’s license records, judicial records of convicted felons and persons declared incompetent to vote, and department of health and human services records of deceased persons.
   b.  On or after January 1, 2007, a A county shall not establish or maintain a voter registration system separate from the state voter registration system. Each county shall provide to the state registrar the names, voter registration information, and voting history of each registered voter in the county in the form required by the state registrar.
   c.  A state or local election official may obtain immediate electronic access to the information contained in the computerized voter registration file. All voter registration information obtained by a local election official shall be electronically entered into the computerized voter registration file on an expedited basis at the time the information is provided to the local election official. The state registrar shall provide such support as may be required to enable local election officials to electronically enter the information into the computerized voter registration file on an expedited basis. The list generated from the computerized file shall serve as the official voter registration list for the conduct of all elections for federal office in the state.
   d.  The state registrar shall prescribe by rule the procedures for access to the state voter registration file, including all of the following:
   (1)  Access protocols for adding, changing, or deleting information from the state voter registration file.
   (2)  Training requirements for all state voter registration file users.
   (3)  Technology safeguards, including county information technology network requirements, necessary to access the state voter registration file.
   (4)  Breach incident response requirements and protocols on all matters related to elections.
   e.  The state registrar may rescind access to the statewide voter registration file from a user who is not in compliance with the prescribed rules.
   f.  (1)  The state registrar shall, in the first quarter of each calendar year, conduct a verification of all voters in the statewide voter registration file, which shall include cross-referencing the records in the statewide voter registration file with similar records maintained by other states. The state registrar of voters shall cancel the registration of a voter found to be ineligible pursuant to section 48A.30. The state registrar shall submit a report to the general assembly by April 30 of each year regarding the number of voter registrations canceled pursuant to this paragraph. The state registrar shall also publish this report on the internet site of the state registrar.
   (2)  g.  The state registrar may contract with a third-party vendor, including state and federal government agencies and private entities, to develop or provide a program to allow the state registrar to verify the status of records in the statewide voter registration file and identify ineligible voters on an ongoing basis.
   h.  The state registrar may adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A for the use of federal and other state agency sources of information. The state registrar and county commissioners of elections may use those sources of information for voter registration file maintenance.
   i.  The department of transportation shall transmit to the state registrar a list of each person seventeen years of age or older in the state who has submitted documentation indicating that the person is not a citizen of the United States.
    Sec. 29.  Section 48A.10A, subsections 1 and 2, Code 2025, are amended to read as follows:
   1.  The state registrar shall compare lists of persons who are registered to vote with the department of transportation’s driver’s license and files, nonoperator’s identification card files, and noncitizen identification files, and shall, on an initial basis, issue a voter identification card to each active, registered voter whose name does not appear in the department of transportation’s files. The voter identification card shall include the name of the registered voter, a signature line above which the registered voter shall sign the voter identification card, the registered voter’s identification number assigned to the voter pursuant to section 47.7, subsection 2, an additional four-digit personal identification number assigned by the state commissioner, and the times during which polling places will be open on election days. 
   2.  The commissioner shall issue voter identification cards on an ongoing basis as prescribed by the state registrar. The commissioner shall, as a part of the voter acknowledgment process required under sections 48A.26 and 48A.26A, issue a voter identification card to a registered voter under this subsection at the time of registration or update to registration if the registered voter’s name does not appear in the department of transportation’s driver’s license, or nonoperator’s identification card, or noncitizen identification files. A registered voter whose name appears in the department of transportation’s driver’s license, or nonoperator’s identification card, or noncitizen identification files shall not be issued a voter identification card pursuant to this section.
    Sec. 30.  Section 48A.25A, Code 2025, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  2A.  A voter registration record shall be designated as unconfirmed status if the registrant self-reports to be a noncitizen on the voter registration form and signs the portion of the form affirming the person’s United States citizenship.
    Sec. 31.  Section 48A.30, subsection 1, Code 2025, is amended by adding the following new paragraph:
   NEW PARAGRAPH.  h.  The registered voter submits documentation that indicates that the registered voter is not a citizen of the United States or reports to a state or federal agency that the registered voter is not a citizen of the United States.
    Sec. 32.  Section 48A.30, subsection 2, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   2.  When a registration is canceled pursuant to subsection 1, paragraph “d”, “e”, or “g”, or “h”, the commissioner shall send a notice of the cancellation to the registered voter.
    Sec. 33.  Section 48A.37, subsection 2, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   2.  Electronic records shall include a status code designating whether the records are active, inactive, incomplete, pending, unconfirmed, or canceled.
   a.  Inactive records are records of registered voters to whom notices have been sent pursuant to section 48A.28, and who have not returned the card or otherwise responded to the notice, and those records have been designated inactive pursuant to section 48A.29. Inactive records are also records of registered voters to whom notices have been sent pursuant to section 48A.26A and who have not responded to the notice. Incomplete records are records missing required information pursuant to section 48A.11, subsection 8. Pending records are records of applicants whose applications have not been verified pursuant to section 48A.25A.  Unconfirmed records are records of registered voters about whom the state registrar or county commissioner has received information from a reliable source indicating that the registered voter is not qualified. Canceled records are records that have been canceled pursuant to section 48A.30. All other records are active records.
   b.  An inactive record shall be made active when the registered voter requests an absentee ballot, votes at an election, registers again, or reports a change of name, address, telephone number, or political party or organization affiliation. An incomplete record shall be made active when a completed application is received from the applicant and verified pursuant to section 48A.25A. A pending record shall be made active upon verification or upon the voter providing identification pursuant to section 48A.8.  An unconfirmed record shall be made active upon the registered voter providing evidence that the registered voter is qualified.
    Sec. 34.  Section 49.77, subsection 1, paragraph a, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   a.  Any person desiring to vote shall sign a voter’s declaration provided by the officials, in substantially the following form:
VOTER’S DECLARATION
 OF ELIGIBILITY

  I do solemnly swear or affirm that I am a resident of the .... precinct, .... ward or township, city of ........, county of ........, Iowa.  I am a citizen of the United States.

  I am a registered voter. I was born on the .... day of .... (month) .... (year). I have not voted and will not 
vote in any other precinct in said election.

  I understand that any false statement in this declaration is a criminal offense punishable as provided by law.
                ................................
                Signature of Voter
                ................................
                Address
                ................................
                Telephone (optional)
Approved:
............................................
Board Member
    Sec. 35.  Section 49.80, subsection 2, paragraph a, Code 2025, is amended by adding the following new subparagraph:
   NEW SUBPARAGRAPH.  (5)  The person’s citizenship status.
    Sec. 36.  Section 50.22, subsection 2, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   2.  The decision to count or reject each ballot shall be made upon the basis of the information given on the envelope containing the provisional ballot, the evidence concerning the challenge, the registration and the returned receipts of registration.  Ballots submitted to the board pursuant to section 49.78 or 49.81 that are not cured by the deadline provided in section 49.81, subsection 6, shall be rejected.
DIVISION X
ELECTION MISCONDUCT

    Sec. 37.  Section 39A.7, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   39A.7  Election misconduct —— investigation.
   1.  The attorney general county sheriff, or other law enforcement agency with jurisdiction, shall investigate allegations of election misconduct reported to the attorney general. Election misconduct by an election official shall also be investigated for prosecution under chapter 721.
   2.  Upon the completion of an investigation required by this section, the attorney general county sheriff, or other law enforcement agency with jurisdiction, shall submit the results of the investigation, including the report from the law enforcement agency, to the attorney general and the state commissioner, and the attorney general shall explain whether the attorney general will pursue charges.  Any information that is requested by or in the possession of the state commissioner pursuant to this chapter remains a confidential record pursuant to section 22.7, subsection 5.
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 conduct of elections. The bill is organized in divisions.
   DIVISION I —— CANDIDATE ELIGIBILITY OBJECTIONS. This division relates to the nomination of candidates for federal office. The bill exempts candidates for federal office from the requirement that a candidate sign a statement that the candidate is aware that the candidate is disqualified from holding office if the candidate has been convicted of a felony or other infamous crime and the candidate’s rights have not been restored by the governor or by the president of the United States. The bill limits objections to the eligibility of a candidate for a federal office that may be filed with the state commissioner of elections to objections to the legal sufficiency of the nomination petition or certificate of election, or to the residency, age, or citizenship requirements as described in the United States Constitution. With respect to nominations for president or vice president of the United States, the bill allows objections only to the legal sufficiency of the certificate of nomination. The certificate of nomination shall be presumed valid.
   This division of the bill takes effect upon enactment.
   DIVISION II —— RANKED CHOICE VOTING. This division relates to the use of ranked choice and instant runoff voting for elections in this state. The bill prohibits ranked choice and instant runoff voting, defined in the bill as a system in which voters rank multiple candidates for a single office in order of preference and candidates are eliminated and votes transferred between candidates in a series of rounds, from being used to cast or tabulate ballots in any election in this state.
   This division of the bill takes effect January 1, 2026.
   DIVISION III —— PERSONS PERMITTED IN VOTING BOOTHS.  This division amends the subsection of Code section 49.88 (limitation on persons in booth and time for voting) prohibiting a person standing for election on the ballot before a voter from occupying the voting booth with the voter and Code section 49.90 (assisting voter) to say that the candidate violates Code section 49.88 by occupying the voting booth with the voter.
   This division of the bill takes effect January 1, 2026.
   DIVISION IV —— VOTER REGISTRATION DATABASE PILOT PROGRAM.  This division requires the state registrar of voters to contract with a third-party vendor to develop or provide a program to allow the state registrar to verify the status of records in the statewide voter registration file and identify ineligible voters on an ongoing basis. During the first quarter of 2026, the bill requires the state registrar of voters to utilize the program developed or provided by the third-party vendor to verify the status of records in the statewide voter registration file. The state registrar shall forward the results of the analysis to each county commissioner of registration prior to the date that county commissioners of registration are required to submit voter list maintenance reports. The bill requires the state registrar of voters to evaluate the efficacy and cost of the pilot program as compared to the current method of maintaining the statewide voter registration database. The pilot program is repealed effective December 31, 2028.
   DIVISION V —— COUNTY HOSPITAL BOARD OF TRUSTEES. This division strikes a provision setting the term length for persons elected to a county hospital board of trustees in a county with a population of at least 400,000 to six years, returning the term length to four years.
   This division of the bill applies retroactively to persons elected to a county hospital board of trustees on or after January 1, 2024.
   DIVISION VI —— POLITICAL PARTY —— DEFINITION. Under current law, the definition of “political party” is a party which, at the last preceding general election, cast for its candidate for president of the United States or for governor, as the case may be, at least 2 percent of the total vote cast for all candidates for that office at that election. This division increases the threshold to at least 10 percent of the total vote cast.
   DIVISION VII —— NOMINATION FILING DEADLINES. This division changes the filing deadline for candidates nominated by petition or by a nonparty political organization for election at a general election to 5:00 p.m. on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June, the same day on which political parties are required to hold a primary election.
   DIVISION VIII—— AFFIDAVITS OF CANDIDACY. This division requires that affidavits of candidacy include a statement that the candidate is aware that, by filing the affidavit, the candidate is ineligible to appear on the same ballot for the same office through nomination by another method.
   DIVISION IX —— VOTER REGISTRATION. This division relates to voter registration file maintenance and the verification of the eligibility of registered voters. The bill specifies that the state registrar of voters may contract with federal and state agencies and private entities for voter registration verification purposes and allows the state registrar to adopt rules regarding the use of federal and state sources of information for voter registration file maintenance.
   The bill requires the department of transportation to share with the state registrar of voters a list of each person who has submitted documentation indicating that the person is not a citizen of the United States and requires the state registrar of voters to compare the list of registered voters with the noncitizen identification information maintained by the department of transportation.
   The bill requires a voter registration to be marked as “unconfirmed” if a registrant marks on the voter registration form that the registrant is a noncitizen and also signs the portion of the form affirming that the registrant is a citizen of the United States or if the state registrar of voters or county commissioner of elections receives reliable information that the registered voter is not a citizen of the United States. The bill requires a voter registration to be changed from unconfirmed to active if the registered voter provides evidence that the registered voter is qualified to vote. The bill adds a statement regarding citizenship status to the declaration of eligibility signed by each voter prior to receiving a ballot.
   The bill also requires a voter registration to be canceled if the registered voter submits documentation that indicates that the registered voter is not a citizen of the United States or reports to a state or federal agency that the registered voter is not a citizen of the United States. The bill allows a precinct election official to question a person about the person’s citizenship status if the right of the person to vote is challenged at the time the person is offering to vote.
   The bill requires the special precinct election board to reject provisional ballots that have not been cured by the statutory deadline.
   DIVISION X —— ELECTION MISCONDUCT. This division assigns responsibility for investigating election misconduct reported to the attorney general to the county sheriff or other law enforcement agency with jurisdiction. Upon completion of the investigation, the bill requires the law enforcement agency to report the results of the investigation to the attorney general, in addition to the state commissioner of elections as required under current law. Information in the possession of or requested by the state commissioner of elections as part of an investigation remains a confidential record.