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Iowa Regulations § 721-21.203 Form of general election ballot

Up to Chapter 21: Election Forms and Instructions

Regulation Text

All general election ballots shall meet the following formatting requirements:
(1) Required information. In addition to other requirements listed in the Iowa Code, general election ballots shall also include the following information:
a. The name of the election.
b. The name of the county.
c. Instructions for how to mark the ballot, including instructions for voting on judicial retentions and constitutional amendments or public measures.
d. Ballot location of the judges' names and any constitutional amendment(s).
(2) Headings and lines. Rescinded IAB 9/8/10, effective 8/16/10.
(3) Office titles, order of offices and public measures. Each office printed on the ballot shall be preceded by an office title. The order of offices and public measures listed on the general election ballot shall be as follows:
a. In gubernatorial election years, the order of office titles and public measures on the general election ballot shall be listed as follows:
(1) U.S. Senator (if any).
(2) U.S. Representative, District_.
(3) Governor and Lt. Governor.
(4) Secretary of State.
(5) Auditor of State.
(6) Treasurer of State.
(7) Secretary of Agriculture.
(8) Attorney General.
(9) State Senator, District_(if any).
(10) State Representative, District_.
(11) Board of Supervisors (if plan II or plan III, then Board of Supervisors, District_).
(12) Treasurer.
(13) Recorder.
(14) County Attorney.
(15) Township Trustee (if any).
(16) Township Clerk (if any).
(17) County Public Hospital Trustee (if any).
(18) Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner.
(19) County Agricultural Extension Council Member.
(20) Other nonpartisan offices (if any).
(21) Supreme Court Justice (if any).
(22) Court of Appeals Judge (if any).
(23) District Court Judge (if any).
(24) District Court Associate Judge (if any).
(25) Associate Juvenile Judge (if any).
(26) Associate Probate Judge (if any).
(27) Public Measures (if any). Under the public measures heading, measures shall be listed in the following order:
1. Constitutional Amendment (if any).
2. State Public Measure (if any).
3. County Public Measure (if any).
4. City Public Measure (if any).
b. In presidential election years, the order of office titles on the general election ballot shall be listed as follows:
(1) President and Vice President.
(2) U.S. Senator (if any).
(3) U.S. Representative, District_.
(4) State Senator, District_(if any).
(5) State Representative, District_.
(6) Board of Supervisors (if plan II or plan III, then Board of Supervisors, district_).
(7) Auditor.
(8) Sheriff.
(9) Township Trustee (if any).
(10) Township Clerk (if any).
(11) County Public Hospital Trustee (if any).
(12) Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner.
(13) County Agricultural Extension Council Member.
(14) Other nonpartisan offices (if any).
(15) Supreme Court Justice (if any).
(16) Court of Appeals Judge (if any).
(17) District Court Judge (if any).
(18) District Court Associate Judge (if any).
(19) Associate Juvenile Judge (if any).
(20) Associate Probate Judge (if any).
(21) Public Measures (if any). Under the public measures heading, measures shall be listed in the following order:
1. Constitutional Amendment (if any).
2. State Public Measure (if any).
3. County Public Measure (if any).
4. City Public Measure (if any).
c. If an office is printed on the general election ballot followed by the words "To Fill Vacancy," that office shall be listed after the other offices under the appropriate heading. If the office followed by the words "To Fill Vacancy" is the board of supervisors, that office shall appear after the other board of supervisors office(s).
(4) Vote for number. Under each office title, the number of choices a voter may make in the race shall be printed in the following form: "Vote for no more than_". The number of choices the voter may make for each race is the number of individuals to be elected to the office at the general election. Under the "President and Vice President" office title, "Vote for no more than one team" shall be printed on the ballot. Under the "Governor and Lt. Governor" office title, "Vote for no more than one team" shall be printed on the ballot.
(5) Write-in vote targets. After the candidates' names for each office (if any), a target shall be placed next to a line for voters to write in a nominee for the office. The number of write-in targets and lines printed under each office shall match the vote for number referenced in subrule 21.203(4). Under each write-in line, the following words shall be printed: "Write-in vote, if any". For the offices of President and Vice President, there shall be one write-in target printed to the left of two write-in lines. Under the write-in lines, the commissioner shall print the following: "Write-in vote for President, if any" and "Write-in vote for Vice President, if any". For the offices of governor and lieutenant governor, there shall be one write-in target printed to the left of two write-in lines. Under the write-in lines, the commissioner shall print the following: "Write-in vote for Governor, if any" and "Write-in vote for Lt. Governor, if any".
(6) Font size. Candidates' names shall be printed in upper and lower case letters, and the font size shall be no less than 10-point type.
(7) Two-sided ballots. If a general election ballot must be printed on two sides, the words "Turn the ballot over" shall be printed on both sides of the ballot, at the bottom.
(8) Separate judicial ballot. The judicial ballot shall be separate from the rest of the ballot and shall be conspicuously distinguished by headings and lines.
This rule is intended to implement Iowa Code section 49.57A.

History

ARC 8698B, IAB 4/21/10, effective 6/15/10; ARC 9049B, IAB 9/8/10, effective 8/16/10; ARC 0107C, IAB 4/18/12, effective 3/30/12

Amended by IAB January 21, 2015/Volume XXXVII, Number 15 , effective 2/25/2015

Amended by IAB November 8, 2017/Volume XL, Number 10 , effective 12/13/2017

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