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Bills › 91st General Assembly

SF 2077Died when the session ended · January 21, 2026

Relating to the casting of ballots by absent voters

Sponsored by Sen. Sandy Salmon (R)

Topics:Elections & voting

Same legislation: HF 2165

Write your legislators about it

Also covers HF 2165.

Official bill pageLobbyist declarationsOne-pager to print

Where it is now

  1. Done: IntroducedJanuary 21, 2026
  2. Done: SubcommitteeJanuary 22, 2026
  3. Stopped: Senate committeeDied when the General Assembly ended
  4. Next: Passes the Senate
  5. Next: House committeeFunnel: by March 20, 2026
  6. Next: Passes the House
  7. Next: To the Governor
  8. Next: Signed into law

Died when the session ended The General Assembly adjourned on October 2, 2026. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died. What’s a funnel?

What’s in it

This bill relates to the casting of ballots by absent voters. The bill requires an absentee ballot that is mailed to a voter to be enclosed in an unsealed affidavit envelope and with or in an unsealed return envelope, which shall then be enclosed in the delivery envelope, which shall not include a return address. If the ballot cannot be folded so that all the votes on the ballot will be hidden, the bill requires the commissioner to also send a secrecy envelope. The bill requires a registered voter to subscribe to an affidavit on an affidavit envelope by signing the envelope and writing the voter’s voter verification number.

Read the full explanation

The bill adds a requirement that an affidavit envelope be considered to contain a defect if the voter verification number on the envelope does not match the voter verification number on file for the voter. The bill strikes certain requirements regarding what materials a commissioner shall include with an absentee ballot and instead requires a commissioner to put the same serial number on the affidavit, return, and delivery envelopes. The bill requires all mailed absentee ballots to include an affidavit envelope. The bill also requires the absentee and special voters precinct board to reject an absentee ballot if the affidavit envelope does not include the voter’s voter verification number. The bill changes the timeline for the return of absentee ballots. on the day before election day. Under current law, absentee ballots must be delivered to the office of the county commissioner of elections not later than the time polls close on election day. armed forces.

From the explanation printed with the bill as introduced, written by the Legislative Services Agency. Amendments adopted later aren’t reflected. Full bill text

Senate subcommittee

Named January 22, 2026. It hasn’t reported yet.

Three legislators hear a bill first and recommend what the committee should do; it’s the best time to weigh in. How to take part

Iowa Code it changes

Creates§53.1B

Amends§53.10§53.12§53.16§53.17§53.17A§53.18§53.21§53.22§53.23§53.25§53.30§53.32§53.44§53.8§9E.6

Read from the bill as introduced. Each links to every bill touching that chapter of the Iowa Code. How the Code works

Lobbying

2 for · 6 against · 1 undecided · Who →

Family tree

Where this legislation came from and where it went: earlier tries, the versions it moved through this Assembly, and later bills built on it.

91st General Assembly

SF 2077Cleared committeeSenate companionHF 2165Cleared committeeHouse companion

Earlier and later bills are matched by wording or an identical title; check the text to be sure it’s the same idea.