TrustVoting Atlas

53.40 Request requirements — transmission of ballot.
1. a. A request in writing for a ballot may be made by any member of the armed forces
of the United States who is or will be a qualified voter on the day of the election at which
the ballot is to be cast, at any time before the election. Any member of the armed forces of
the United States may request ballots for all elections to be held during a calendar year. The
request may be made by using the federal postcard application form and indicating that the
applicant wishes to receive ballots for all elections as permitted by state law. If the applicant
does not specify which elections the request is for, the county commissioner shall send the
applicant a ballot for each federal election held after the application is received until the end
of the calendar year in which the request is received.
b. Unless the request specifies otherwise, a request for the primary election shall also be
considered a request for the general election. In the case of the general election, request
may be made not more than seventy days before the election, for and on behalf of a voter in
the armed forces of the United States by a spouse, parent, parent-in-law, adult brother, adult
sister, or adult child of the voter, residing in the county of the voter’s residence. However, a
request made by other than the voter may be required to be made on forms prescribed by the
state commissioner.
c. A request shall show the residence, including street address, if any, of the voter and
the age of the voter and shall designate the address to which the ballot is to be sent. In the
case of the primary election, the request shall also show the party affiliation of the voter. The
request shall be made to the commissioner of the county of the voter’s residence. However,
if the request is made by the voter to any elective state, city, or county official, the official
shall forward it to the commissioner of the county of the voter’s residence, and such request
so forwarded shall have the same force and effect as if made directly to the commissioner by
the voter.
2. The commissioner shall immediately on the forty-fifth day prior to the particular
election transmit ballots to the voter by mail or otherwise, postage prepaid, as directed by
the state commissioner, requests for which are in the commissioner’s hands at that time,
and thereafter so transmit ballots immediately upon receipt of requests. A request for ballot
for the primary election which does not state the party affiliation of the voter making the
request is void and of no effect. A request which does not show that the person for whom a
ballot is requested will be a qualified voter in the precinct in which the ballot is to be cast
on the day of the election for which the ballot is requested, shall not be honored. However,
a request which states the age and the city, including street address, and county where the
voter resides is sufficient to show that the person is a qualified voter. A request by the voter
containing substantially the information required is sufficient.
3. If the affidavit on the envelope marked with the affidavit shows that the affiant is not a
qualified voter on the day of the election at which the ballot is offered for voting, the envelope
shall not be opened, but the envelope and ballot contained in the envelope shall be preserved
and returned by the precinct election officials to the commissioner, who shall preserve them
for the period of time and under the conditions provided for in sections 50.12, 50.13, 50.15,
and 50.19.
Acts, ch 1134, §71, 115; 2004 Acts, ch 1083, §35, 37; 2007 Acts, ch 215, §238; 2009 Acts, ch
57, §71; 2010 Acts, ch 1033, §31, 32, 56; 2010 Acts, ch 1061, §8; 2014 Acts, ch 1101, §29, 32;
Tue Dec 09 22:30:57 2025
Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 53 (53, 1)
§53.41, ABSENT VOTERS
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