Senate
File
415
-
Reprinted
SENATE
FILE
415
BY
COMMITTEE
ON
STATE
GOVERNMENT
(SUCCESSOR
TO
SSB
1215)
(As
Amended
and
Passed
by
the
Senate
March
24,
2015
)
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
related
to
elections
administration
and
election
1
officials.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
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Section
1.
Section
43.45,
Code
2015,
is
amended
by
adding
1
the
following
new
subsection:
2
NEW
SUBSECTION
.
3.
Notwithstanding
any
requirement
to
3
the
contrary
in
subsection
1
and
subsection
2,
paragraph
“c”
,
4
the
commissioner
of
a
county
using
digital
ballot
counting
5
technology
may
direct
the
precinct
election
officials
to
tally
6
and
record
write-in
votes
at
the
precincts
after
the
closing
7
of
the
polls
or
may
direct
the
precinct
election
officials
8
to
sort
the
ballots
by
write-in
votes
for
delivery
to
the
9
special
precinct
board
to
tally
and
record
the
write-in
votes
10
on
any
day
following
election
day
and
prior
to
the
canvass
11
by
the
board
of
supervisors
under
section
43.49.
For
the
12
purposes
of
this
subsection
“digital
ballot
counting
technology”
13
is
technology
in
which
digital
images
of
write-in
votes
are
14
printed
by
the
precinct
election
officials
at
the
polling
place
15
after
the
close
of
voting.
16
Sec.
2.
Section
49.9,
Code
2015,
is
amended
to
read
as
17
follows:
18
49.9
Proper
place
of
voting.
19
Except
as
provided
in
section
49.11,
subsection
3
,
paragraph
20
“b”
,
section
49.11A,
or
as
otherwise
provided
by
law,
a
person
21
shall
not
vote
in
any
precinct
but
that
of
the
person’s
22
residence.
23
Sec.
3.
NEW
SECTION
.
49.11A
Combined
polling
places.
24
1.
For
any
election,
the
commissioner
may
designate
a
25
combined
polling
place
to
serve
more
than
one
precinct
upon
26
determining
that
designating
the
combined
polling
place
is
27
cost-efficient,
administratively
feasible,
and
does
not
impose
28
an
undue
burden
on
persons
in
the
precincts
served
by
the
29
combined
polling
place.
The
commissioner
may
assign
precincts
30
to
a
combined
polling
place
and
a
person
who
is
an
eligible
31
elector
of
a
precinct
assigned
to
a
combined
polling
place
who
32
wishes
to
vote
in
person
on
election
day
shall
vote
at
the
33
combined
polling
place.
The
commissioner
shall
post
a
notice
34
on
the
day
of
the
election
at
the
entrance
to
each
combined
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polling
place
indicating
that
it
is
a
combined
polling
place
1
and
specifying
the
precincts
that
are
assigned
to
the
combined
2
polling
place.
3
2.
a.
If
the
commissioner
assigns
precincts
to
a
4
combined
polling
place
for
a
primary
or
general
election,
the
5
commissioner
shall
ensure
that
the
voting
system
utilized
6
in
the
combined
polling
place
reports
election
results
by
7
individual
precinct.
8
b.
For
a
primary
or
general
election,
the
total
number
9
of
voters
in
all
precincts
assigned
to
a
combined
polling
10
place
shall
not
exceed
three
thousand
five
hundred
voters,
as
11
determined
by
the
combined
number
of
votes
cast
from
each
of
12
the
precincts
at
the
last
preceding
general
election
that
was
a
13
presidential
election.
14
3.
For
a
primary
or
general
election,
the
commissioner
15
shall
publish
notice
of
the
commissioner’s
intent
to
designate
16
a
combined
polling
place
no
less
than
seventy
days
before
the
17
election.
For
any
other
election,
the
commissioner
shall
18
publish
notice
of
the
commissioner’s
intent
to
designate
a
19
combined
polling
place
no
less
than
thirty
days
before
the
20
election.
21
4.
The
commissioner
shall
not
assign
precincts
to
a
combined
22
polling
place
for
an
election
if
there
is
filed
with
the
23
commissioner
at
least
sixty
days
before
a
primary
or
general
24
election,
or
at
least
twenty
days
before
any
other
election,
25
a
petition
signed
by
fifty
or
more
eligible
electors
of
a
26
precinct
to
be
assigned
to
a
combined
polling
place
requesting
27
that
the
precinct
not
be
assigned
to
a
combined
polling
place.
28
There
shall
be
attached
to
the
petition
the
affidavit
of
an
29
eligible
elector
of
the
precinct
that
the
signatures
on
the
30
petition
are
genuine
and
that
all
of
the
signers
are
to
the
31
best
of
the
affiant’s
knowledge
and
belief
eligible
electors
of
32
the
precinct.
33
Sec.
4.
Section
50.24,
subsection
2,
Code
2015,
is
amended
34
to
read
as
follows:
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2.
Upon
convening,
the
board
shall
open
and
canvass
the
1
tally
lists
and
shall
prepare
abstracts
stating
the
number
of
2
votes
cast
in
the
county,
or
in
that
portion
of
the
county
3
in
which
the
election
was
held,
for
each
office
and
on
each
4
question
on
the
ballot
for
the
election.
The
board
shall
5
contact
the
chairperson
of
the
special
precinct
board
before
6
adjourning
and
include
in
the
canvass
any
write-in
votes
7
tallied
and
recorded
by
the
special
precinct
board
or
any
8
absentee
ballots
which
were
received
after
the
polls
closed
in
9
accordance
with
section
53.17
and
which
were
canvassed
by
the
10
special
precinct
board
after
election
day.
The
abstract
shall
11
further
indicate
the
name
of
each
person
who
received
votes
for
12
each
office
on
the
ballot,
and
the
number
of
votes
each
person
13
named
received
for
that
office,
and
the
number
of
votes
for
and
14
against
each
question
submitted
to
the
voters
at
the
election.
15
The
votes
of
all
write-in
candidates
who
each
received
less
16
than
five
percent
of
the
votes
cast
for
an
office
shall
be
17
reported
collectively
under
the
heading
“scattering”.
18
Sec.
5.
Section
53.20,
subsection
1,
Code
2015,
is
amended
19
to
read
as
follows:
20
1.
There
is
established
in
each
county
a
special
precinct
to
21
be
known
as
the
absentee
ballot
and
special
voters
precinct.
22
Its
jurisdiction
shall
be
conterminous
with
the
borders
of
the
23
county,
for
the
purposes
specified
by
sections
53.22
and
53.23
,
24
and
the
requirement
that
precincts
not
cross
the
boundaries
25
of
legislative
districts
shall
not
be
applicable
to
it.
The
26
commissioner
shall
draw
up
an
election
board
panel
for
the
27
special
precinct
in
the
manner
prescribed
by
section
49.15
,
28
having
due
regard
for
the
nature
and
extent
of
the
duties
29
required
of
members
of
the
election
board
and
the
election
30
officers
to
be
appointed
from
the
panel
,
including,
if
directed
31
by
the
commissioner,
the
tallying
and
recording
of
write-in
32
votes
.
33
Sec.
6.
Section
331.904,
subsection
1,
paragraph
a,
Code
34
2015,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
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a.
The
annual
base
salary
of
the
first
and
second
deputy
1
officer
of
the
office
of
auditor,
treasurer,
and
recorder,
the
2
deputy
in
charge
of
election
administration,
the
deputy
in
3
charge
of
the
motor
vehicle
registration
and
title
division,
4
and
the
deputy
in
charge
of
driver’s
license
issuance
shall
5
each
be
an
amount
not
to
exceed
eighty-five
percent
of
the
6
annual
salary
of
the
deputy’s
principal
officer.
In
offices
7
where
more
than
two
deputies
are
required,
the
annual
base
8
salary
of
each
additional
deputy
shall
be
an
amount
not
to
9
exceed
eighty
percent
of
the
principal
officer’s
salary.
The
10
amount
of
the
annual
base
salary
of
each
deputy
shall
be
11
certified
by
the
principal
officer
to
the
board
and,
if
a
12
deputy’s
annual
base
salary
does
not
exceed
the
limitations
13
specified
in
this
subsection
,
the
board
shall
certify
the
14
annual
base
salary
to
the
auditor.
The
board
shall
not
certify
15
a
deputy’s
annual
base
salary
which
exceeds
the
limitations
of
16
this
subsection
.
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