Iowa Administrative Code › Agency 721 - Secretary of State › Division II - Elections › Chapter 22 - Voting Systems and Electronic Poll Books › Rule 721-22.102 - Optical Scan Ballots

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 3, July 24, 2024
The optical scan ballots shall be printed pursuant to Iowa
				  Code chapters 43 and 49 and by any relevant provisions of any statutes which
				  specify the form of ballots for special elections, so far as possible within
				  the constraints of the physical characteristics of the system.
(1) The optical scan ballots may be printed
				on both sides of a sheet of paper. If both sides are used, the words "Turn the
				ballot over" shall be clearly printed on the front and the back of the optical
				scan ballot, at the bottom.
(2)
				Printed at the top of the front side of the optical scan ballot shall be the
				name and date of the election; the words "Official Ballot"; a designation of
				the ballot style or precinct, if any; and a facsimile of the commissioner's
				signature.
(3) The voting target
				shall be printed opposite each candidate's name and write-in line on the
				optical scan ballot, and opposite the "yes" and "no" for each public measure
				and judge. The voting target shall be printed on the left side of the name or
				"yes" and "no". The voting target shall be an oval unless the voting system
				requires a target with a different shape.
(4) For partisan primary elections, the names
				of candidates representing each political party shall be printed on separate
				optical scan ballots. The ballots shall be uniform in quality, texture and
				size. The name of the political party shall be printed in at least 24-point
				type (%" high) at the top of the ballot.
(5) There shall be printed on the ballot a
				line to accommodate the initials of the precinct election official who endorses
				the ballot as provided in Iowa Code sections 43.36 and 49.82.
(6) It is not necessary for public measures
				to be printed on colored paper.
(7)
				Ballots shall be coded as necessary to allow the tabulation program to identify
				the appropriate ballots for the precinct. Ballots shall be coded so the
				tabulating device can identify by precinct the votes cast for each office and
				question on the ballot by precinct. The votes from the absentee and special
				voters precinct shall be reported as a single precinct except in general
				elections pursuant to Iowa Code section 53.20 as amended by 2008 Iowa Acts,
				House File 2367. Identical ballots shall not be coded to identify groups of
				voters within a precinct.
(8) No
				office or public measure on any ballot shall be divided to appear in more than
				one column or on more than one page of a ballot. If the full text of a public
				measure will not fit on a single column of the ballot, the commissioner shall
				prepare a summary for the ballot and post the full text in the voting booth as
				required by Iowa Code section 52.25.
(9) Ballots shall be stored in a locked room
				or storage area. Access to the storage area shall be restricted to those
				persons identified in the election security plan. Throughout the election
				process, the commissioner shall keep accurate records of the number of each
				type of ballot or ballot style printed for the election. This record shall
				include the number of ballots:
a. Ordered from
				the printer.
b. Printed and
				delivered by the printer to the commissioner. The commissioner may store
				sealed, unopened packages of ballots without verifying the number of ballots in
				the package.
c. Used for testing as
				required by Iowa Code sections 52.9 and 52.35 and rule 721-22.41(52).
d. Held in reserve for emergencies as
				required by Iowa Code section 49.66.
e. Delivered to and returned from the polling
				places as required by Iowa Code sections 49.65 and 50.10.
f. Used for absentee voting, including any
				spoiled ballots.
g. Issued as
				sample ballots to the public as permitted by Iowa Code section 43.30.
h. Photocopied ballots used pursuant to Iowa
				Code section
				49.67.
i. Printed by the commissioner using any
				voting system program, such as Election Systems & Software's Ballot on
				Demand program.