Bills › 90th General Assembly
Relating to special elections to fill vacancies in county boards of supervisors and city elective offices, and including applicability provisions
Sponsored by the Senate State Government Committee
Topics:Elections & votingCities & counties
Same legislation: SF 330
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedFebruary 20, 2023
- Done: SubcommitteeFebruary 22, 2023
- Done: Senate committeeMarch 2, 2023
- Stopped: Passes the SenateDied when the General Assembly ended
- Next: House committee
- Next: Passes the House
- Next: To the Governor
- Next: Signed into law
Died when the session ended The 2024 session adjourned on April 19, 2024, the General Assembly’s last regular session. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died. What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
AI summary New rules would change how many signatures people need to collect to hold a special election for empty seats on county boards of supervisors or in city offices. For county supervisors, the number of signatures required would be based on the higher of two different calculation methods. For city offices, the number of signatures would be based on the percentage of people who voted for that specific office in the last regular election.1
Read the official explanation
This bill relates to special elections to fill vacancies in county boards of supervisors and elective city offices. The bill changes the number of signatures required on a petition to fill a vacancy in the office of county supervisor by a special election from percent of the votes cast in the county for office of president or governor at the preceding general election to percent or the number of signatures required for nomination of a county supervisor, whichever is greater. The bill also changes the signature requirements for a petition to fill a vacancy in an elective city office to percent of the voters who voted for candidates for the office at the preceding regular election at which the office was on the ballot. The bill does not change alternate minimum signature requirements based on city size. The bill applies to vacancies in county boards of supervisors and city elective offices arising on or after the effective date of the bill.
Fiscal note
Cost: up to $260,000 Compare with other bills
AI summary This bill changes the number of signatures required on a petition to hold a special election for vacancies in city offices and county boards of supervisors. Counties may spend between $1,000 and $185,000 for each special election held, while cities may spend between $750 and $260,000 for each special election held. The frequency and location of these vacancies and petitions cannot be estimated.3
Read the fiscal note
Description
Senate File 487 relates to special elections to fill vacancies in county boards of supervisors and elective city offices. The Bill changes the number of signatures required on a petition to fill a vacancy in an office of county supervisor or elective city office to at least 2.0% of the votes cast in the previous election.
Background
For county supervisors, petitions are valid if total voter signatures in the county equal to 10.0% of the votes cast in the county for the office of President of the United States or Governor at the preceding general election. Iowa Code section 372.13 indicates the percentage of voters required to sign a petition for the petition to be deemed valid for a special election of city officials. Under Iowa Code section 372.13, petitions in cities with a population of 50,000 or less must have the signatures of at least 15.0% of the voters who voted at the preceding regular election. Petitions in cities with a population of more than 50,000 must have the signatures of at least 10.0% of the voters who voted at the preceding regular election.
Assumptions
- Counties holding special elections for boards of supervisors as a result of a valid petition may experience an estimated cost per county between $1,000 and $185,000, depending on the number of registered voters in the county. However, the frequency and location of these vacancies and petitions cannot be estimated.
- Cities holding special elections for elective city offices as a result of a valid petition may experience an estimated cost per city between $750 and $260,000, depending on the number of registered voters in the city. However, the frequency and location of these vacancies and petitions cannot be estimated.
Fiscal Impact
Counties that hold special elections for the board of supervisors may make expenditures between $1,000 and $185,000 for each special election held.
Cities that hold special elections for elective city offices may make expenditures between $750 and $260,000 for each special election held.
Source
- Iowa State Association of Counties
- County Supervisor and City Official Vacancies, Special Elections · March 27, 2023 · $260,000
Iowa Code it changes
Lobbying
0 for · 0 against · 10 undecided · Who →
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90th General Assembly