2009 Iowa Code
Title 2 - Elections and Official Duties
Subtitle 1 - Elections
CHAPTER 49 - METHOD OF CONDUCTING ELECTIONS
49.8 - CHANGES IN PRECINCTS.

        49.8  CHANGES IN PRECINCTS.
         After any required changes in precinct boundaries have been made
      following each federal decennial census, at the time established by
      or pursuant to section 49.7, the county board or city council shall
      make no further changes in precinct boundaries until after the next
      federal decennial census, except in the following circumstances:
         1.  When deemed necessary by the board of supervisors of any
      county because of a change in the location of the boundaries,
      dissolution or establishment of any civil township, the boundaries of
      precincts actually affected may be changed as necessary to conform to
      the new township boundaries.
         2.  When territory is annexed to a city the city council may
      attach all or any part of the annexed territory to any established
      precinct or precincts which are contiguous to the annexed territory,
      however this subsection shall not prohibit establishment of one or
      more new precincts in the annexed territory.
         3.  A city may have one special federal census taken each decade
      and the population figures obtained may be used to revise precinct
      boundaries in accordance with the requirements of sections 49.3 and
      49.5.
         4. a.  When the boundaries of a county supervisor, city
      council, or school director district, or any other district from
      which one or more members of any public representative body other
      than the general assembly are elected by the voters thereof, are
      changed by annexation or other means other than reprecincting, the
      change shall not result in the term of any officer elected from the
      former district being terminated before or extended beyond the
      expiration of the term to which the officer was last elected, except
      as provided under section 275.23A and section 331.209, subsection 1.
      If more than one incumbent officeholder resides in a district redrawn
      during reprecincting, their terms of office shall expire after the
      next election in the political subdivision.
         b.  When a vacancy occurs in the office of county supervisor,
      city council, or school director following the effective date of new
      district boundaries, the vacancy shall be filled using the new
      boundaries.
         5.  When a city is changing its form of government from one which
      has council members elected at large to one which has council members
      elected from wards, or is changing its number of council members
      elected from wards, the city council may redraw the precinct
      boundaries in accordance with sections 49.3 and 49.5 to coincide with
      the new ward boundaries.
         6.  Precinct boundaries established by or pursuant to section
      49.4, and not changed under subsection 1 since the most recent
      federal decennial census, may be changed once during the period
      beginning January 1 of the second year following a year in which a
      federal decennial census is taken and ending June 30 of the year
      immediately following the year in which the next succeeding federal
      decennial census is taken, if the commissioner recommends and the
      board of supervisors finds that the change will effect a substantial
      savings in election costs.  Changes made under this subsection shall
      be made not later than ninety-nine days before a primary election,
      unless the changes will not take effect until January 1 of the next
      even-numbered year.
         7.  Precinct boundaries established by a city council pursuant to
      section 49.5 or 49.6 and not changed under subsections 1 through 5
      since the most recent federal decennial census, may be redrawn by the
      city council in accordance with sections 49.3 and 49.5 once during
      the period beginning January 1 of the second year following a year in
      which a federal decennial census is taken and ending June 30 of the
      year immediately following the year in which the next succeeding
      federal decennial census is taken, if the commissioner recommends
      that the change will effect a substantial savings in election costs.
      Changes made under this subsection shall be made not later than
      ninety-nine days before a city primary or runoff election, unless the
      changes will not take effect until January 1 of the next odd-numbered
      year.
         8.  When territory contiguous to the Indian settlement is added to
      the Indian settlement land held in trust by the secretary of the
      interior of the United States.  

         Section History: Early Form

         [C73, § 603; C97, § 1090; S13, § 1090; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §
      722, 723; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, § 49.4, 49.5; C75, 77,
      79, 81, § 49.8] 

         Section History: Recent Form

         83 Acts, ch 77, § 2; 84 Acts, ch 1052, § 1; 89 Acts, ch 136, §34;
      94 Acts, ch 1179, §11, 12; 99 Acts, ch 17, §3; 2007 Acts, ch 59, §6,
      19; 2008 Acts, ch 1032, § 201
         Referred to in § 275.25, 275.41, 331.383