Bill
HF 928
HF 928 updates canvass and recount rules, giving Iowa's state elections chief authority to order precinct-level recounts for tight statewide/federal margins.
Purpose
- HF 928 revises Iowa law governing canvasses, recounts, and contests of elections, updates procedures for multi‑county canvasses, clarifies who may order/perform recounts and how recount boards are constituted, and makes other related changes. The Act also includes provisions relating to contest courts and (per the bill title) penalties, though penalty text is not shown in the excerpt provided.
Status
- Enacted. Signed by Governor Kim Reynolds on June 2, 2025. Passed House and Senate (House: 66–31; Senate: 31–14).
Canvass timing and abstracts
- County boards of supervisors will meet to canvass returns on the first Monday or Tuesday after an election (language replaces prior requirement referencing only Monday).
- For multi‑county cities or school districts, the controlling commissioner conducts a second canvass on the second Monday or Tuesday after the election. If a recount is requested, the controlling commissioner must conduct the second canvass within two business days after the recount concludes.
- County canvass abstracts must include individual tallies for write‑in candidates; write‑in totals under 5% for an office are reported collectively as “scattering.”
Recount request deadlines and thresholds
- For most county recount requests, a written request must be filed by 5:00 p.m. on the third day following the county board’s canvass (as retained for some elections).
- New statewide provision: the state commissioner of elections shall order a precinct‑level recount for candidates for statewide office, members of the General Assembly, or federal office if:
- a written request is filed by 5:00 p.m. on the day following the county board’s canvass; and
- the abstracts show the margin is less than 0.15% for statewide/federal contests, or less than either 1% or 50 votes (whichever is lesser) for other contests.
- City runoff recount requests must be made by 5:00 p.m. the day after the county board’s canvass.
Recount administration and composition
- The commissioner may assign commissioner staff to serve on recount boards; when staff are assigned for a partisan office recount, the commissioner must assign an equal number of staff from each political party.
- Amendments clarify procedures for retabulation when automatic tabulating equipment is used and address observers and replacement of observers during recounts (specific procedures are partly truncated in the excerpt).
Contest courts and appeals
- The bill (in introduced/versions) establishes contest courts for contests involving public measures, executive offices, presidential electors, federal/state/county officers to consist of five district court judges appointed by the chief justice by Jan 30 of each odd‑numbered year.
- Decisions of contest courts may be appealed to the Iowa Supreme Court.
Other changes
- Removes or strikes specified subsections in existing Code sections (e.g., Section 43.56(2); Section 50.48(2) is struck in amendment).
- Defines “extraordinary circumstances” for recounts in amendment H‑1172 (examples: machine failure during initial recount, discrepancy between initial count and recount, overvotes exceeding the margin).
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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