Iowa Code § 48A.26 — IA Code / Title II / Chapter 48A / Section 48A.26
Acknowledgment of registration form.
Status: in_force

(1) (a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraphs “b” and “c” of this subsection, or section 48A.26A, within seven working days of receipt of a voter registration form or change of information in a voter registration record the commissioner shall send an acknowledgment to the registrant at the mailing address shown on the registration form. The acknowledgment shall be sent by nonforwardable mail.

(1) (b) For a voter registration form or change of information in a voter registration record submitted at a precinct caucus, the commissioner shall send an acknowledgment within forty-five days of receipt of the form or change of information.

(1) (c) For a voter registration form or change of information in a voter registration record submitted within fourteen days of a regularly scheduled election, the commissioner shall send an acknowledgment within forty-eight hours of receipt of the form or change of information.

(2) If the registration form appears on its face to be complete and proper, the acknowledgment shall state that the registrant is now a registered voter of the county. The acknowledgment shall also specify the name of the precinct and the usual polling place for the precinct in which the person is now registered. The acknowledgment may include the political party affiliation most recently recorded by the registrant.

(3) If the registration form is missing required information pursuant to section 48A.11, subsection 8, the acknowledgment shall advise the applicant what additional information is required. The commissioner shall enclose a new registration form for the applicant to use. If the registration form has no address, the commissioner shall make a reasonable effort to determine where the acknowledgment should be sent. If the incomplete registration form is received during the period in which registration is closed pursuant to section 48A.9 but by 5:00 p.m. on the Saturday before the election for general elections or by 5:00 p.m. on the Friday before the election for all other elections, the commissioner shall send a notice advising the applicant of election day and in-person absentee registration procedures under section 48A.7A.

(4) If the registrant applied by mail to register to vote and did not answer either “yes” or “no” to the first question in section 48A.11, subsection 3, the application shall be processed. If the application is complete and proper in all other respects and information on the application is verified, as required by section 48A.25A, the applicant shall be registered to vote and sent an acknowledgment.

(5) If the registrant applied by mail to register to vote and answered “no” to the first question in section 48A.11, subsection 3, the application shall not be processed. The acknowledgment shall advise the applicant that the registration has been rejected because the applicant indicated on the registration form that the applicant is not a citizen of the United States.

(6) If the acknowledgment is returned as undeliverable by the United States postal service, the commissioner shall follow the procedure described in section 48A.29, subsection 1.

(7) If a registrant has not supplied enough information on a registration form for the commissioner to determine the correct precinct and other districts, the commissioner shall obtain the information as quickly as possible either from the registrant or other sources available to the commissioner.

(8) An improperly addressed or delivered registration form shall be forwarded to the appropriate county commissioner of registration within two working days after it is received by any other official. The date of registration shall be the date the registration form was received by the first official. If the registration form was postmarked fifteen or more days before an election and the registration form was received by the first official after the close of registration, the registration form shall be considered on time for the election.

(9) When a person who is at least seventeen years of age but less than eighteen years of age registers to vote, the commissioner shall maintain a record of the registration so as to clearly indicate that it will not take effect until the registrant’s eighteenth birthday and that the person is registered and qualifies to vote at any election held on or after that date. However, the commissioner shall indicate that the person is registered and qualifies to vote at the pending primary election if the person will be at least eighteen years of age on the date of the respective general election or city election.

94 Acts, ch 1169, §27; 97 Acts, ch 170, §15; 2004 Acts, ch 1083, §14, 15, 37; 2008 Acts, ch 1115, §79; 2009 Acts, ch 57, §17; 2014 Acts, ch 1101, §13, 32; 2016 Acts, ch 1073, §16; 2017 Acts, ch 110, §59, 64; 2019 Acts, ch 148, §25, 33