Requiring that a primary runoff election be held in the event of an inconclusive primary election for certain offices, and including effective date and applicability provisions

Description

Senate File 410 requires that a primary runoff election be held to determine a party’s nominee in in the event of an inconclusive primary election. An inconclusive primary election occurs when there is not a sufficient number of candidates from one political party who received at least 35.0% of the vote in a primary election to fill the necessary number of nominations for an office. This includes elections for county offices, statewide offices, congressional offices, and members of the General Assembly.

Background

• Under current law, the winner of an inconclusive primary election is determined by applicable delegates at convention, and expenses are paid by the applicable political party.
• In Iowa, one congressional district seat in the 2002 election and in the 2014 election was determined by convention.
• The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) reports that 10 states have provisions for primary runoff elections: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Vermont. Vermont only holds runoffs in the event of a tie, and South Dakota only holds runoffs for the offices of U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, and Governor.

Assumptions

• Each county auditor will determine how to staff, equip, and supply the election site with precinct officials and the appropriate quantity of ballots.
• Based on responses from 56 counties, the average cost of a special election per capita is $1.18. The highest cost is $4.21, the lowest cost is $0.33, and the median cost is $1.07. It is assumed these numbers would hold statewide, but $1.10 will be used for the calculations below.
• Precinct workers’ pay varies from county to county but averages approximately $8.50 per hour, plus travel reimbursement, training, and supplies. Travel costs in rural precincts will be higher than in precincts in cities. Each precinct has approximately five workers working a 16-hour day.
• The cost per ballot is $0.25, and the cost for postage and envelopes per absentee ballot is $1.68.
• County election administration costs are estimated to be $30 per hour per person, including base pay, overtime pay, and benefits.
• Publication costs per county are $2,000.
• The voting equipment programming cost per county is $3,000.
• The calculations assume a 25.0% voter turnout.
• The average cost per precinct for officials, equipment, and supplies is approximately $1,470.
• Some county supervisors are elected “at large” by the entire county, while others are elected by a specific district within the county. The smallest district is assumed to include seven precincts.
• Primary runoff elections happen infrequently but are assumed to happen more frequently at the county level than at the state or congressional level.

Fiscal Impact

All costs for a primary runoff election would be paid at the county level. The effect on county expenditures would depend on the number of precincts involved. Cost estimates range from approximately $10,000 for seven precincts in a county local election for a specific county board of supervisors seat; to an approximate average of $849,800 for each of the four congressional districts; and up to $3.4 million for a statewide runoff election.

In the event of a statewide primary runoff, the Secretary of State’s Office will incur approximately $35,000 in additional computer programming costs and staff overtime expenses.

Sources

• Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC)
• Secretary of State’s Office
• National Conference of State Legislatures