Bill Text: IA HF150 | 2017-2018 | 87th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act eliminating election day and in-person absentee voter registration.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 10-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-02-09 - Subcommittee: Koester, Highfill and Hunter. H.J. 262. [HF150 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2017-HF150-Introduced.html
House File 150 - Introduced HOUSE FILE BY SALMON, WHEELER, HAGER, SHEETS, FISHER, GASSMAN, WATTS, HOLT, HEARTSILL, and BAXTER A BILL FOR 1 An Act eliminating election day and in=person absentee voter 2 registration. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: TLSB 1296YH (5) 87 aw/sc PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. Section 39A.2, subsection 1, paragraph a, 1 2 subparagraph (2), Code 2017, is amended by striking the 1 3 subparagraph. 1 4 Sec. 2. Section 48A.9, subsection 1, Code 2017, is amended 1 5 to read as follows: 1 6 1. Registration closes at 5:00 p.m. eleven days before each 1 7 election except general elections. For general elections, 1 8 registration closes at 5:00 p.m. ten days before the election. 1 9 An eligible elector may register during the time registration 1 10 is closed in the elector's precinct but the registration shall 1 11 not become effective until registration opens again in the 1 12 elector's precinct, except as otherwise provided in section 1 13 48A.7A. 1 14 Sec. 3. Section 48A.14, subsection 4, Code 2017, is amended 1 15 to read as follows: 1 16 4. A challenge may be filed at any time. A challenge filed 1 17 less than seventy days before a regularly scheduled election 1 18 shall not be processed until after the pending election unless 1 19 the challenge is filed within twenty days of the commissioner's 1 20 receipt of the challenged registrant's registration form or 1 21 notice of change to an existing registration.A challenge 1 22 filed against a person registering to vote pursuant to section 1 23 48A.7A is considered a challenge to a person offering to vote 1 24 and must be filed under section 49.79.1 25 Sec. 4. Section 48A.25A, subsection 1, paragraph b, Code 1 26 2017, is amended by striking the paragraph. 1 27 Sec. 5. Section 48A.26, subsection 3, Code 2017, is amended 1 28 to read as follows: 1 29 3. If the registration form is missing required information 1 30 pursuant to section 48A.11, subsection 8, the acknowledgment 1 31 shall advise the applicant what additional information is 1 32 required. The commissioner shall enclose a new registration 1 33 form for the applicant to use. If the registration form has 1 34 no address, the commissioner shall make a reasonable effort 1 35 to determine where the acknowledgment should be sent.If the 2 1 incomplete registration form is received during the period in 2 2 which registration is closed pursuant to section 48A.9 but 2 3 by 5:00 p.m. on the Saturday before the election for general 2 4 elections or by 5:00 p.m. on the Friday before the election 2 5 for all other elections, the commissioner shall send a notice 2 6 advising the applicant of election day and in=person absentee 2 7 registration procedures under section 48A.7A.2 8 Sec. 6. Section 48A.37, subsection 2, Code 2017, is amended 2 9 to read as follows: 2 10 2. Electronic records shall include a status code 2 11 designating whether the records are active, inactive, 2 12 incomplete, pending, or canceled. Inactive records are records 2 13 of registered voters to whom notices have been sent pursuant 2 14 to section 48A.28, subsection 3, and who have not returned the 2 15 card or otherwise responded to the notice, and those records 2 16 have been designated inactive pursuant to section 48A.29. 2 17 Inactive records are also records of registered voters to 2 18 whom notices have been sent pursuant to section 48A.26A prior 2 19 to July 1, 2017, and who have not responded to the notice. 2 20 Incomplete records are records missing required information 2 21 pursuant to section 48A.11, subsection 8. Pending records 2 22 are records of applicants whose applications have not been 2 23 verified pursuant to section 48A.25A. Canceled records are 2 24 records that have been canceled pursuant to section 48A.30. 2 25 All other records are active records. An inactive record shall 2 26 be made active when the registered voter requests an absentee 2 27 ballot, votes at an election, registers again, or reports a 2 28 change of name, address, telephone number, or political party 2 29 or organization affiliation. An incomplete record shall be 2 30 made active when a completed application is received from the 2 31 applicant and verified pursuant to section 48A.25A. A pending 2 32 record shall be made active upon verification or upon the voter 2 33 providing identification pursuant to section 48A.8. 2 34 Sec. 7. Section 49.11, subsection 3, paragraph b, 2 35 subparagraph (1), Code 2017, is amended to read as follows: 3 1 (1) Establish voting centers for the regular city election, 3 2 city primary election, city runoff election, regular school 3 3 election, and special elections. Any registered voter who 3 4 is eligible to vote in the regular city election may vote 3 5 at any voting center in the city. Any registered voter who 3 6 is eligible to vote at the regular school election may vote 3 7 at any voting center in the school district. Any registered 3 8 voter who is eligible to vote in a special election may vote at 3 9 any voting center established for that special election.For 3 10 purposes of section 48A.7A, a voting center shall be considered 3 11 the polling place for the precinct in which a person resides.3 12 Sec. 8. Section 49.77, subsection 4, paragraph b, Code 2017, 3 13 is amended by striking the paragraph. 3 14 Sec. 9. Section 49.79, subsection 2, paragraph c, Code 2017, 3 15 is amended to read as follows: 3 16 c. The challenged person is not a resident at the address 3 17 where the person is registered. However, a person who is 3 18 reporting a change of address at the polls on election day 3 19 pursuant to section 48A.27, subsection 2, paragraph "a", 3 20 subparagraph (3),or who is registering to vote pursuant to 3 21 section 48A.7A,shall not be challenged for this reason. 3 22 Sec. 10. Section 53.2, subsection 6, Code 2017, is amended 3 23 to read as follows: 3 24 6. If an application for an absentee ballot is received 3 25 from an eligible elector who is not a registered voter 3 26 the commissioner shall send the eligible elector a voter 3 27 registration form and another absentee ballot application form. 3 28If the application is received after the time registration 3 29 closes pursuant to section 48A.9 but by 5:00 p.m. on the 3 30 Saturday before the election for general elections or by 5:00 3 31 p.m. on the Friday before the election for all other elections, 3 32 the commissioner shall notify the applicant by mail of the 3 33 election day and in=person absentee registration provisions 3 34 of section 48A.7A. In addition to notification by mail, the 3 35 commissioner shall also attempt to contact the applicant by any 4 1 other method available to the commissioner.If the application 4 2 is received so late that it is unlikely that the registration 4 3 form can be returned in time to be effective on election day, 4 4 the commissioner shall enclose with the absentee ballot a 4 5 notice to that effect, informing the eligible elector of the 4 6 registration time limits in section 48A.9. 4 7 Sec. 11. REPEAL. Sections 48A.7A and 48A.26A, Code 2017, 4 8 are repealed. 4 9 EXPLANATION 4 10 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 4 11 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly. 4 12 This bill eliminates election day and in=person absentee 4 13 registration, also known as same=day voter registration, and 4 14 restores earlier provisions related to voter registration. LSB 1296YH (5) 87 aw/sc
