Bills › 91st General Assembly
Requiring primary elections for the nomination of candidates for city, school district, and merged area elections, and including applicability provisions
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedJanuary 14, 2025
- Done: SubcommitteeJanuary 14, 2025
- Stopped: Senate committeeDied when the General Assembly ended
- Next: Passes the Senate
- Next: House committeeFunnel: by March 20, 2026
- Next: Passes the House
- Next: To the Governor
- Next: Signed into law
Died when the session ended The 2026 session adjourned on May 3, 2026, 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 People running for city, school district, or merged area offices would have to be chosen through primary elections instead of using petitions or runoff elections. This change would apply to most local elections starting in 2027. Additionally, county boards of supervisors can now choose whether to count ballots by hand or use a machine to scan them.1
Read the official explanation
This bill relates to nominations of candidates for elections to city, school district, and merged area offices. The bill requires candidates for such elections to be nominated by primary elections held pursuant to Code chapter (partisan nominations —— primary election). Currently such elections are nonpartisan except for special charter cities under Code chapter 420. The bill repeals other methods for the nomination of candidates, including nominations by petition and runoff elections. The bill allows the board of supervisors of a county to decide whether to conduct an election using an optical scan voting system or by counting ballots by hand. The bill applies to elections held on or after January 1, 2027.
Senate subcommittee
Named January 13, 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
2 written public comments to its subcommittee: January 23, 2025 (2) · on the Legislature’s site
Iowa Code it changes
Amends§260C.15§275.25§277.4§277.5§279.6§279.7§331.383§376.11§376.3§376.4§376.5§376.7§376.8§420.126§420.137§43.112§43.114§43.115§43.116§43.118§43.24§43.78§45.1§49.31§50.48§69.12
Lobbying
1 for · 11 against · 8 undecided · Who →
Family tree
Tried before
Study bill
91st General Assembly
Earlier and later bills are matched by wording or an identical title.
Tried before
This idea has been filed in 2 earlier General Assemblies. None got through a chamber.
- HF 2480 Requiring primary elections for the nomination of candidates for city, school district, an…90th General Assembly · In committee · same titleCleared committee
- SF 23 Requiring primary elections for the nomination of candidates for city, school district, an…90th General Assembly · In committee · similarCleared committee
- HSB 633 HSB 63390th General Assembly · Subcommittee recommends passage · similarCleared committee
- SF 2238 Requiring primary elections for the nomination of candidates for city, school district, an…89th General Assembly · In committee · similarCleared committee
Matched by wording or an identical title.