IOWA STATUTES AND CODES
39.2 - SPECIAL ELECTIONS.
39.2 SPECIAL ELECTIONS.
1. a. All special elections which are authorized or required
by law, unless the applicable law otherwise requires, shall be held
on Tuesday. A special election shall not be held on the first,
second, and third Tuesdays preceding and following the primary and
the general elections.
b. A special election shall not be held in conjunction with
the primary election. A special election shall not be held in
conjunction with a school election unless the special election is for
a school district or community college. A special election shall not
be held in conjunction with a regularly scheduled or special city
primary or city runoff election.
2. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 1, a special
election may be held on the same day as a regularly scheduled
election if the two elections are not in conflict within the meaning
of section 47.6, subsection 2. A special election may be held on the
same day as a regularly scheduled election with which it does so
conflict if the commissioner who is responsible for conducting the
elections concludes that to do so will cause no undue difficulties.
3. a. When voting is to occur on the same day in any one
precinct for two or more elections, they shall be considered one
election for purposes of administration including but not limited to
publishing notice of the election, preparation of the precinct
election register and completion of tally sheets after the polling
place has closed.
b. If a special election to fill a vacancy is held in
conjunction with a regularly scheduled election, the filing deadlines
for the special election shall coincide with the filing deadlines for
the regularly scheduled election. An election to fill a vacancy in a
city office cannot be held in conjunction with a general election if
the city election procedures provide for a primary election.
4. Unless otherwise provided by law, special elections on public
measures are limited to the following dates:
a. For a county, on the day of the general election, on the
day of the regular city election, on the date of a special election
held to fill a vacancy in the same county, or on the first Tuesday in
March, the first Tuesday in May, or the first Tuesday in August of
each year.
b. For a city, on the day of the general election, on the day
of the regular city election, on the date of a special election held
to fill a vacancy in the same city, or on the first Tuesday in March,
the first Tuesday in May, or the first Tuesday in August of each
year.
c. For a school district or merged area, in the odd-numbered
year, the first Tuesday in February, the first Tuesday in April, the
last Tuesday in June, or the second Tuesday in September. For a
school district or merged area, in the even-numbered year, the first
Tuesday in February, the first Tuesday in April, the second Tuesday
in September, or the first Tuesday in December. Section History: Early Form
[C51, § 237; R60, § 460; C73, § 574; C97, § 1058; C24, 27, 31, 35,
39, § 505; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §
39.2] Section History: Recent Form
90 Acts, ch 1238, §1; 93 Acts, ch 143, § 2; 98 Acts, ch 1123, § 1;
2002 Acts, ch 1134, §1, 115; 2008 Acts, ch 1032, §201; 2008 Acts, ch
1115, §24, 71
Referred to in § 47.6, 57.3, 75.1, 99F.7, 145A.7, 257.18, 257.29,
260C.28, 260C.39, 275.18, 275.23A, 275.25, 275.35, 275.36, 275.55,
277.2, 278.1, 279.39, 297.11, 298.9, 298.18, 298.21, 300.2, 330.17,
331.309, 346.27, 347.14, 347.23, 347.23A, 362.11, 368.19, 372.2,
372.9, 392.6, 423B.1, 423F.3