Bill Text: IA SF115 | 2021-2022 | 89th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to requesting and returning absentee ballots.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-02-09 - Subcommittee reassigned: R. Smith, Brown, and Jochum. S.J. 298. [SF115 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2021-SF115-Introduced.html
Senate
File
115
-
Introduced
SENATE
FILE
115
BY
NUNN
and
WILLIAMS
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
requesting
and
returning
absentee
ballots.
1
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
2
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Section
1.
Section
53.2,
subsection
1,
paragraph
b,
Code
1
2021,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
2
b.
A
registered
voter
may
make
written
application
to
the
3
commissioner
for
an
absentee
ballot.
A
written
application
4
for
an
absentee
ballot
must
be
received
by
the
commissioner
no
5
later
than
5:00
p.m.
on
the
same
day
as
the
voter
registration
6
deadline
provided
in
section
48A.9
for
fifteen
days
before
the
7
election
for
which
the
ballot
is
requested,
except
when
the
8
absentee
ballot
is
requested
and
voted
at
the
commissioner’s
9
office
pursuant
to
section
53.10
.
A
written
application
for
10
an
absentee
ballot
delivered
to
the
commissioner
and
received
11
by
the
commissioner
more
than
one
hundred
twenty
days
prior
12
to
the
date
of
the
election
shall
be
returned
to
the
voter
13
with
a
notification
of
the
date
when
the
applications
will
be
14
accepted.
15
Sec.
2.
Section
53.17,
subsection
1,
paragraph
b,
Code
2021,
16
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
17
b.
The
sealed
return
envelope
may
be
mailed
to
the
18
commissioner
by
the
registered
voter
or
by
the
voter’s
19
designee.
If
mailed
by
the
voter’s
designee,
the
envelope
20
must
be
mailed
within
seventy-two
hours
of
retrieving
it
from
21
the
voter
or
within
time
to
be
postmarked
or,
if
applicable,
22
to
have
the
postal
service
barcode
traced
to
a
date
of
entry
23
into
the
federal
mail
system
not
later
than
the
day
ten
days
24
before
the
election,
as
provided
in
section
53.17A
,
whichever
25
is
earlier.
26
Sec.
3.
Section
53.17,
subsection
2,
Code
2021,
is
amended
27
to
read
as
follows:
28
2.
In
order
for
the
ballot
to
be
counted,
the
return
29
envelope
must
be
received
in
the
commissioner’s
office
before
30
the
polls
close
on
election
day
or
be
clearly
postmarked
by
an
31
officially
authorized
postal
service
or
bear
a
postal
service
32
barcode
traceable
to
a
date
of
entry
into
the
federal
mail
33
system
not
later
than
the
day
ten
days
before
the
election,
as
34
provided
in
section
53.17A
,
and
received
by
the
commissioner
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not
later
than
noon
on
the
Monday
following
the
election.
1
Sec.
4.
Section
53.17,
subsection
4,
paragraph
f,
Code
2021,
2
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
3
f.
A
statement
that
the
completed
absentee
ballot
will
4
be
delivered
to
the
commissioner’s
office
within
seventy-two
5
hours
of
retrieving
it
from
the
voter
or
before
the
closing
of
6
the
polls
on
election
day,
whichever
is
earlier,
or
that
the
7
completed
absentee
ballot
will
be
mailed
to
the
commissioner
8
within
seventy-two
hours
of
retrieving
it
from
the
voter
or
9
within
time
to
be
postmarked
or,
if
applicable,
to
have
the
10
postal
service
barcode
traced
to
a
date
of
entry
into
the
11
federal
mail
system
not
later
than
the
day
ten
days
before
the
12
election,
as
provided
in
section
53.17A
,
whichever
is
earlier.
13
Sec.
5.
Section
53.17A,
subsection
3,
paragraph
b,
14
subparagraph
(2),
Code
2021,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
15
(2)
If
the
postmark
is
illegible,
missing,
or
dated
on
16
or
after
election
the
day
nine
days
before
the
election
,
the
17
commissioner
shall
attempt
to
verify
the
ballot’s
date
of
entry
18
into
the
federal
mail
system
by
querying
the
postal
service
19
barcode
in
the
tracking
information
database.
If
the
tracking
20
information
database
indicates
that
the
absentee
ballot
entered
21
the
federal
mail
system
by
the
deadline
specified
in
section
22
53.17
or
53.22
,
the
ballot
shall
be
included
for
canvass
by
the
23
absentee
and
special
voters
precinct
board.
The
commissioner
24
shall
provide
a
report
to
the
absentee
and
special
voters
25
precinct
board
regarding
the
information
available
in
the
26
tracking
information
database.
27
Sec.
6.
Section
53.22,
subsection
6,
paragraph
b,
Code
2021,
28
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
29
b.
Absentee
ballots
voted
under
this
subsection
shall
be
30
delivered
to
the
commissioner
no
later
than
the
time
the
polls
31
are
closed
on
election
day.
If
the
ballot
is
returned
by
mail
32
the
return
envelope
must
be
received
by
the
time
the
polls
33
close,
or
be
clearly
postmarked
by
an
officially
authorized
34
postal
service
or
bear
a
postal
service
barcode
traceable
to
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a
date
of
entry
into
the
federal
mail
system
not
later
than
1
the
day
ten
days
before
the
election,
as
provided
in
section
2
53.17A
,
and
received
by
the
commissioner
no
later
than
the
time
3
established
for
the
canvass
by
the
board
of
supervisors
for
4
that
election.
5
EXPLANATION
6
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
7
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
8
This
bill
is
related
to
the
requesting
and
returning
of
9
absentee
ballots.
The
bill
changes
the
date
by
which
an
10
application
for
an
absentee
ballot
must
be
received
from
11
either
10
or
11
days
before
an
election,
depending
on
the
type
12
of
election,
to
15
days
before
the
election.
The
bill
also
13
changes
the
date
by
which
an
absentee
ballot
returned
by
mail
14
must
be
postmarked
or
marked
with
an
intelligent
mail
barcode
15
from
the
day
before
an
election
to
10
days
before
an
election.
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