50.24 Canvass by board of supervisors.
1. The county board of supervisors shall meet to canvass the vote on the first Monday or Tuesday after the day of each election to which this chapter is applicable, unless the law authorizing the election specifies another date for the canvass. If that Monday or Tuesday is a public holiday, section 4.1, subsection 34, controls.
2. Upon convening, the board shall open and canvass the tally lists and shall prepare abstracts stating the number of votes cast in the county, or in that portion of the county in which the election was held, for each office and on each question on the ballot for the election. The board shall contact the chairperson of the special precinct board before adjourning and include in the canvass any write-in votes tallied and recorded by the special precinct board or any absentee ballots which were received after the polls closed in accordance with section 53.17 and which were canvassed by the special precinct board after election day. The abstract shall further indicate the name of each person who received votes for each office on the ballot, and the number of votes each person named received for that office, and the number of votes for and against each question submitted to the voters at the election. The votes of all write-in candidates who each received less than five percent of the votes cast for an office or who each received fewer than ten votes and was not determined to be elected shall be reported collectively under the heading “scattering”.
3. The board shall certify an election canvass summary report prepared by the commissioner. The election canvass summary report shall include the results of the election, including scatterings, overvotes, and undervotes, by precinct for each contest and public measure that appeared on the ballot of the election being canvassed. However, if paper ballots are used pursuant to section 49.26, the election canvass summary report shall not include overvotes and undervotes.
4. For a regular or special city election or a city runoff election, if the city is located in more than one county, the controlling commissioner for that city under section 47.2 shall conduct a second canvass on the second Monday or Tuesday after the day of the election. However, if a recount is requested pursuant to section 50.48, the controlling commissioner shall conduct the second canvass within two business days after the conclusion of the recount proceedings. Each commissioner conducting a canvass for the city pursuant to subsection 1 shall transmit abstracts for the offices and public measures of that city to the controlling commissioner for that city, along with individual tallies for each write-in candidate. At the second canvass, the county board of supervisors of the county of the controlling commissioner shall canvass the abstracts received pursuant to this subsection and shall prepare a combined city abstract stating the number of votes cast in the city for each office and on each question on the ballot for the city election. The combined city abstract shall further indicate the name of each person who received votes for each office on the ballot, the number of votes each person named received for that office, and the number of votes for and against each question submitted to the voters at the election. The votes of all write-in candidates who each received less than five percent of the total votes cast in the city for an office shall be reported collectively under the heading “scattering”.
5. a. For a regular or special school election, if the school district is located in more than one county, the controlling commissioner for that school district under section 47.2 shall conduct a second canvass on the second Monday or Tuesday after the day of election. However, if a recount is requested pursuant to section 50.48, the controlling commissioner shall conduct the second canvass within two business days after the conclusion of the recount proceedings. Each commissioner conducting a canvass for the school district pursuant to subsection 1 shall transmit abstracts for the offices and public measures of that school district to the controlling commissioner for that school district, along with individual tallies for each write-in candidate. At the second canvass the county board of supervisors of the controlling county shall canvass the abstracts received pursuant to this subsection and shall prepare a combined school district abstract stating the number of votes cast in the school district for each office and on each question on the ballot for the school election. The combined school district abstract shall further indicate the name of each person who received votes for each office on the ballot, the number of votes each person named received for that office, and the number of votes for and against each question submitted to the voters at the election. The votes of all write-in candidates who each received less than five percent of the total votes cast in the school district for an office shall be reported collectively under the heading “scattering”.
b. The second canvass of votes for a merged area shall be conducted pursuant to section 260C.15, subsection 5, and each commissioner conducting a canvass for the merged area pursuant to subsection 1 shall transmit abstracts for the offices and public measures of that school district to the controlling commissioner for that merged area, along with individual tallies for each write-in candidate.
6. Any obvious clerical errors in the tally lists from the precincts shall be corrected by the supervisors. Complete records of any changes shall be recorded in the minutes of the canvass.
[C51, §271, 304, 305; R60, §335, 506, 538, 539, 1131; C73, §502, 503, 631, 635, 662; C97, §1146, 1149; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §859, 860, 863; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, §50.20, 50.21, 50.24; C75, 77, 79, 81, §50.24]
84 Acts, ch 1291, §10; 89 Acts, ch 136, §49; 90 Acts, ch 1238, §26; 93 Acts, ch 143, §22; 95 Acts, ch 189, §10; 2009 Acts, ch 57, §40; 2010 Acts, ch 1033, §25, 26; 2015 Acts, ch 85, §2; 2017 Acts, ch 155, §28, 44; 2021 Acts, ch 147, §37, 54
Referred to in §47.2, 50.48, 275.22, 277.20, 331.383, 376.7, 376.9
Subsection 2 amended
Structure Iowa Code
Title II - ELECTIONS AND OFFICIAL DUTIES
Section 50.1A - Canvass by officials.
Section 50.2 - One tally list in certain machine precincts.
Section 50.3 - Double or defective ballots.
Section 50.4 - Ballots objected to.
Section 50.5 - Disputed ballots returned separately.
Section 50.6 - Votes in excess of voter declarations.
Section 50.7 - Error on county office — township office.
Section 50.8 - Error on state or district office — tie vote.
Section 50.9 - Return of ballots not voted.
Section 50.10 - Record of ballots returned.
Section 50.11 - Proclamation of result.
Section 50.12 - Return and preservation of ballots.
Section 50.13 - Destruction of ballots.
Section 50.14 - Return of results.
Section 50.15 - Destruction in abeyance pending contest.
Section 50.15A - Unofficial results of voting — general election only.
Section 50.16 - Tally list of board.
Section 50.17 - Return of election register.
Section 50.19 - Preservation and destruction of books.
Section 50.20 - Notice of number of provisional ballots.
Section 50.21 - Special precinct board reconvened.
Section 50.22 - Special precinct board to determine challenges and canvass absentee ballots.
Section 50.23 - Messengers for missing tally lists.
Section 50.24 - Canvass by board of supervisors.
Section 50.25 - Abstract of votes in the general election.
Section 50.26 - Duplicate abstracts.
Section 50.27 - Declaration of election.
Section 50.28 - Tally lists filed.
Section 50.29 - Certificate of election.
Section 50.30 - Abstracts forwarded to state commissioner.
Section 50.30A - Election canvass summary forwarded to state commissioner.
Section 50.31 - Abstracts for governor and lieutenant governor.
Section 50.32 - Endorsement on other envelope.
Section 50.33 - Forwarding of envelopes.
Section 50.34 - Missing abstracts.
Section 50.35 - Delivery of abstracts.
Section 50.36 - Envelopes containing other abstracts — canvass.
Section 50.37 - State canvassing board.
Section 50.38 - Time of state canvass.
Section 50.40 - Record of canvass.
Section 50.41 - Certificate of election.
Section 50.42 - Certificates mailed.
Section 50.43 - Senator or representative.
Section 50.45 - Canvass public — result determined.
Section 50.46 - Special elections — canvass and certificate.
Section 50.47 - Messengers for election tally lists.
Section 50.48 - General recount provisions.
Section 50.49 - Recounts for public measures.
Section 50.50 - Administrative recounts.