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SF 543IOWASession 2025-2026State Billdead
Did Not Advance

Iowa Senate Bill 543 Overhauls Election Recount Procedures and Board Composition

Original title: A bill for an act relating to the conduct of election recounts, providing penalties, and including effective date provisions.(Formerly SSB 1176 .)

Last action · April 14, 2025: Withdrawn. S.J. 767 .

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Proposed

Senate File 543 restructures election recount procedures in Iowa, modifying recount board compositions based on county population, setting stricter filing deadlines, and authorizing the state commissioner of elections to order recounts and assess penalties for failing to conduct requested hand recounts.

Why it matters

Changes how recount boards are staffed across Iowa counties, establishes new deadlines for candidates and petitioners requesting recounts, and alters the rules for handling disputed paper ballots and s.

Background
  • Senate File 543 originated from Senate Study Bill 1176 in the 91st Iowa General Assembly. context
  • Iowa election laws govern how local and statewide vote counts, canvasses, and recounts are managed by county auditors acting as election commissioners. context

Who It Would Have Affected

Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

County commissioners of elections

Must adjust timelines for processing recount requests, convene recount boards earlier, and notify the state commissioner of multi-county recounts.

Directly affected

Candidates for public office

Must adhere to stricter filing deadlines, designate board members according to county population tiers, and face potential financial penalties for inconsistent hand recount requests.

Directly affected

Precinct election officials

Are appointed by the chief judge of the judicial district to serve on recount boards based on county population thresholds.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a recount request be withdrawn?
Yes, a candidate may withdraw a recount request within 24 hours after the completion of an , or at any time before the final report by reaching a written agreement with the apparent winner to accept original results.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

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Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Withdrawn.

Procedural history

13 actions
  1. Apr 14, 2025Senate
    Withdrawn. S.J. 767 .
  2. Apr 14, 2025Senate
    HF 928 substituted. S.J. 766 .
  3. Apr 14, 2025SenateFloor
    Amendment S-3093 adopted. S.J. 765 .
  4. Apr 9, 2025Senate
    Amendment S-3093 filed. S.J. 756 .
  5. Apr 3, 2025Senate
    Placed on calendar under unfinished business. S.J. 689 .
  6. Mar 26, 2025Senate
    Attached to HF 928 . S.J. 643 .
Show 7 earlier actions
  1. Mar 6, 2025Senate
    Committee report, approving bill. S.J. 441 .
  2. Mar 6, 2025SenateIntroduced
    Introduced, placed on calendar. S.J. 429 .
  3. Mar 5, 2025Iowa Legislature
    Committee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 543 .
  4. Mar 4, 2025Iowa Legislature
    Subcommittee recommends passage.
  5. Feb 27, 2025Iowa Legislature
    Subcommittee Meeting: 03/03/2025 3:30PM Room G15.
  6. Feb 25, 2025Iowa Legislature
    Subcommittee: Rozenboom, Alons, and Winckler.
  7. Feb 24, 2025Iowa LegislatureIntroduced
    Introduced, referred to State Government.

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift98% confidence

Restructuring of Recount Boards by Population

The bill shifts from a uniform three-member recount board structure to a tiered model that scales board membership based on county population thresholds.

General Assembly of the State of Iowa

Connected Entities

State Commissioner of Elections, General Assembly of the State of Iowa, COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT
OrganizationState Commissioner of Elections“State election official granted oversight and recount authorization powers”Map →
OrganizationGeneral Assembly of the State of Iowa“Legislative body enacting the statute”Map →
OrganizationCOMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT“Senate committee that introduced the bill”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.legis.iowa.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance20
    Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
  • Controversy45
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz30
    Current news / social attention level

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