Primary Election Candidate's Guide

Primary Election Candidate’s Guide Includes 1. Candidate Qualifications. 2. Instruction for circulating and filing. Federal – State – County – 2008 Primary Election Candidate Qualifications – Federal – State – County – 2008 Nomination Papers to be filed with the Secretary of State Office U.S. Senator [U.S. Constitution Art. I, Sec 3] U. S. Representative [U.S. Constitution Art. I, Sec 2] Citizenship 9 Yrs 1 Residence Iowa resident 2 Age 30 1 Term 6 Yrs Minimum Number of Signatures Needed Based on votes cast in 2006, refer to Signature charts. [43.20(1)”a”] Based on votes cast in 2006, refer to Signature charts for district. [43.20(1)”c”] 100 [43.20(1)”c”] 7 Yrs 1 Iowa resident 2 25 1 2 Yrs State Senator Iowa Constitution Art. III, sec 5] citizen 1 1yr. In state pre-election: 60 days in district 2 1yr. In state pre-election: 60 days in district 2 25 1 4 Yrs State Representative citizen 1 Iowa Constitution Art. III, sec 4] 21 1 2 Yrs 50 [43.20(1)”c”] Nomination Papers filed with the County Auditor Office Citizenship Residence resident and registered voter of county or supervisor dist. 1 resident of 1 county Age 18 3 Term 4 Yrs County Supervisor citizen 3 [331.201] Number of Signatures Needed 2% of party vote cast in county or Sup. Dist or 100, whichever is less. [43.20(1)”d”] 2% of party vote in county, or 100 which ever is less. [43.20(1)”d”] 2% of party vote in county or 100, which ever is less. [43.20(1)”d”] County Auditor [331.501] citizen 3 18 3 4 Yrs County Sheriff [331.651] citizen 3 resident of 1 county 211 4 Yrs Additional requirements: No felony convictions, peace officer certification within 1 year of taking office. 1 2 When Sworn in. At the time of the General Election. 3 At the time of the Primary Election [39.26]. Signature charts for candidates for U.S. Senate and U.S. Representative are available from the Election Division, Secretary of State’s Office. http://www.sos.state.ia.us/elections/electioninfo/PrimaryElections.html Candidates for county offices should ask the county auditor for signature requirements. Hatch Act State and local government employees may be prohibited from political activity by the HATCH ACT. See also Qualifications and Signature Requirements next page. 1 Candidate’s Guide Primary Election – June 3, 2008 Where to get nomination papersFor State and Federal offices, call, write or visit: Office of the Secretary of State 321 E. 12th Street 1st Floor, Lucas Building Des Moines, Iowa 50319 515-281-0145 email: sos@sos.state.ia.us website:http://www.sos.state.ia.us/elections/electioninfo/PrimaryElections.html You may also print your own nomination petitions. For details, go to page 6, “Personalized Nomination Petitions.” Qualifications and signature requirementsCandidate qualifications are shown on the previous page. Signature charts, if needed, are available from the Election Division, Office of the Secretary of State or on the website at http://www.sos.state.ia.us/elections/electioninfo/PrimaryElections.html The HATCH ACT is a federal law that restricts the political activities of some state and local employees. Workers in executive agency programs financed in whole or in part by federal loans or grants may be prohibited from being candidates. Hatch Act please contact: Hatch Act Attorney Iowa Dept. of Personnel Grimes State Office Building Des Moines, Iowa 50319 1-800-854-2824 2 Checklist for Petition and Affidavit 1. Getting ready to circulate the petition. Before anyone signs. The heading on each page of the petition must be completed before anyone signs the petition. If the heading on a page is blank or incomplete, no signatures on the petition page can be counted. The following information must appear on each petition page: County (and district number, if any) in which the petition was signed. Petitions for U.S. Senate and U.S. Representative must include signatures from only one county on each page. This requirement does not apply to petitions for State Representative or State Senator. Candidate’s name. The candidate’s name should be plainly printed or typed on the petition. Only the candidate’s name may be used; no parentheses, quotation marks or titles may be included. Office name, including district number, if any. District numbers are required on petitions for US Representative, State Senate, State Representative, and County Supervisor in some counties. Political party. Include the name of the political party (Democratic or Republican) with which the candidate is registered to vote. Candidate’s residence. Include the name of the county where the candidate lives. For legislative candidates include the district number. Legislators are required by the State Constitution to live in the district in which they will serve at least 60 days before the General Election. Date of the Primary Election. Forms provided on the Secretary of State’s website include the date of the next Primary Election (June 3, 2008). If you print your own nomination papers, be sure to include the correct date. 2. Signers must be qualified. Eligible electors. Each person who signs a nomination petition must meet the basic requirements to register to vote in Iowa. That means the person must be 18 years old, a US citizen, an Iowa resident and not have been disqualified from voting for any reason. Under Iowa law a person may be disqualified from voting if convicted of a felony, or if a court finds the person to be incompetent to vote. Residence. All signers must live in Iowa. The people who sign the petition must also live in the same county or district in which the office will appear on the ballot. A signature line will not be counted if the signer’s address is obviously outside the boundaries of the district. Signing the petition. Each line must include the signature of an eligible elector, and the person’s address and city. A signature line will not be counted if it lacks any of the following: signature, address or city. Ditto marks may be used to indicate that a series of signers all live in the same city. Date signed. Although the petition will not be rejected if this column is not complete, signers should include the date they signed the petition. 3. Affidavit of candidacy. What is the affidavit? The affidavit is a notarized statement from the candidate that confirms that the candidate understands important requirements. Each candidate should read the affidavit before signing it. The affidavit will be rejected if it does not include all of the required information. 3 Name of office and district, if any—required. The affidavit must include both the name of the office and the district number, if there is one. Candidate’s name—required. The candidate’s name must appear on the affidavit in exactly the form the candidate wants it to appear on the ballot. If there are variations in the form of the name on the petition and affidavit, the form on the affidavit will be used. Please print neatly or type. Only the candidate’s name may appear. Do not include any titles. Do not include any part of the name in parentheses or quotation marks. Name pronunciation. Please include a clear description of how to pronounce the candidate’s name. This information is used to prepare audio ballots that are provided for voters with disabilities. Home address. Please include the current address for the candidate. County. Include the county in which the candidate currently lives. E-mail and telephone numbers. These are optional and will be published if provided. Political party—required. Include the name of the political party (Democratic or Republican) with which the candidate is registered to vote. Candidate’s signature—required. The candidate must sign the affidavit in the presence of a notary public. Notarization—required. A notary public must witness the signature of the candidate and complete the form at the bottom of the affidavit. The notary should include the state and county where the candidate signed the affidavit and print the candidate’s name. The notary must sign the affidavit and add the notary’s official seal. 4. Getting ready to file. Count the signatures. Be sure you have at least the minimum number of signatures. It is wise to file more than the required minimum. Be sure you are ready. If your nomination papers are accepted for filing nothing can be added to them and they cannot be returned. However, if your papers do not meet the requirements for filing they will be returned to you. Binding. Staple the pages of the nomination petition together, if possible. If the petition contains a large number of pages, you may file it in a three-ring binder. Nomination petitions that are not bound will be returned without examination. 5. Filing the nomination papers. Deadlines cannot be waived. Your nomination papers must be in the hands of the filing officer by the deadline. There are no exceptions. Affidavit of Candidacy. Although the affidavit must be filed with the petition, it is sometimes necessary for the candidate to send this by fax. Telephone the filing officer to be sure that your fax is expected. If the candidate faxes the affidavit, the filing officer (county auditor or secretary of state) must receive it before the deadline to file. The candidate must also send the original signed and notarized affidavit to the filing officer. The postmark on the envelope containing the affidavit must be before 5 pm on the day of the filing deadline. The filing officer must receive the original affidavit no later than seven days after the filing deadline. Petition. The original petition must be received before the deadline. Do not fax nomination petitions. 4 File as early as possible. Your nomination papers will be inspected for completeness before they are accepted for filing. If the papers do not meet the minimum filing requirements, they will not be accepted for filing and will be returned. If you file early, you may have time to correct any errors or omissions and to resubmit your papers. Mailing nomination papers. If you mail your nomination papers it is your responsibility to be sure that they arrive before the deadline. Postmark dates don’t count. It is wise to include a telephone number or email address for the filing officer to use if there are any questions about the papers. Where to fileEach candidate must file nomination petitions with the required number of signatures and an affidavit of candidacy. Candidates for State and Federal Offices Office of the Secretary of State 321 E. 12th Street 1st Floor, Lucas Building Des Moines, IA 50319 Candidates for County Offices Office of County Auditor When to fileIn the Office of the Secretary of State: State & Federal Offices First Day = Monday, February 25, 2008 Last Day = Friday, March 14, 2008, no later than 5 p.m. Election office hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Friday, March 14, 2008 (the final day of filing) the office will be open until 5 p.m. In the Office of the County Auditor: County Offices First Day = Monday, March 3, 2008 Last Day = Wednesday, March 26, 2008, no later than 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 26, 2008 (the final day of filing) the auditor’s office will be open until 5 p.m. Note: There are no filing fees for any office. Election resultsPrimary Election winners are not officially notified. Official results of state and federal races will be available on the Secretary of State’s website approximately the first week of July. www.sos.state.ia.us - Primary Election Results. 5 Personalized Nomination Petitions Some candidates prefer to have their own petition forms printed, even though the forms are available at no cost from the Secretary of State or county auditors’ offices. Some parts of the form cannot be changed, but there is room for variety as well. If you change the official form be sure to include a disclaimer (“Paid for by…”) on each copy. The top of the petition form beginning with the words “State of Iowa” and ending with “Date of Signing” must be included on the petition form. This part of the form is required by Iowa law. The signature grid must include all of the columns on the state form. Heading- Number the Signature Lines- Numbering the lines makes it easier to count the signatures. This makes the filing process faster for everyone. The petition forms must be 8 ½” x 11” when they are filed. Larger or smaller forms will not be accepted. You may print the petition on both sides of a page. If you print the petition on both sides of a page, you must print the full petition form (including the Heading see above) on both sides. Size and Printing on both sides- Nomination petitions must be bound together into one bundle when they are filed. Use staples if possible. Petitions may be filed in 3 – ring binders. Petition forms that are not bound will be returned without further examination. Binding- PicturesColor- It is okay to put pictures on the nomination petitions. The paper and ink may be any color. Be sure there is enough contrast between the paper and ink color for easier reading. If you have questions, please call, write, email or visit – The Elections Office Office of the Secretary of State 321 E. 12th Street 1st Floor, Lucas Building Des Moines, IA 50319 email: sos@sos.state.ia.us 6 2008 Election Calendar Primary Election Calendar Monday, February 25 – State and Federal Filing Begins. First day for partisan candidates for state and federal offices to file nomination petitions in the office of the Secretary of State. [43.11(2)] Monday, March 3 – County Filing Begins. First day for partisan candidates for county to file nomination petitions in the county auditor’s office. [43.11(1)] Friday, March 14, 5 p.m. – State Filing Deadline. Last day for partisan candidates to file nomination petitions in the office of the Secretary of State. The deadline is 5 p.m. [43.11(2)] Wednesday, March 19 – State Federal Withdrawal Deadline. Last day for candidates who filed in the office of the secretary of State to withdraw, Notice must be submitted in writing. [43.16 & 43.23(1)] Wednesday, March 26, 5 p.m. – County Filing Deadline. Last day for partisan candidates to file in the office of the county auditor. The deadline is 5 p.m. [43.11(1)] Friday, March 28 – Withdrawal Deadline County. Last day for candidates who have filed nomination petitions with the county auditor to withdraw. Notice must be submitted in writing. [43.16 & 43.23(2)] Monday, March 31 – Objection Deadline County. Last day to file written objections to nomination petitions filed with the county auditor. [43.24(1b)] Thursday, April 24 - Absentee Ballots Must Be Ready. First day to vote by absentee ballot in the office of the county auditor. Monday, May 19 - Worry-Free Post Mark Date. Mail-in voter registration forms which are postmarked on or before today are considered on time for the Primary election, even if they are received after 5 p.m. on May 24th. Saturday, May 24, 5 p.m. – Voter Registration Pre-Registration Deadline. Five o’clock p.m. is the deadline to pre-register to vote for the Primary Election. This applies to registration in person (also registration at driver’s license stations or agencies) or by mail. [48A.9] Exception: Mail-in registration forms that were postmarked on or before May 19 are considered on time even if they are received after the deadline. Saturday, May 31, 5 p.m. – County Auditor’s Office Open. The county auditor’s office must be open for at least eight hours for absentee voting and other election business. [47.2(5)] Tuesday, June 3 - Primary Election Day. [43.7] Polls open 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. [49.73]. Absentee ballots may be delivered to the office of the County auditor until 9 p.m. [53.17] Monday, June 9 – Absentee Ballot Deadline – Noon. Absentee ballots which were postmarked before election day (Monday, June 2 or earlier) and received by noon today are considered to be on time to be counted. [53.17(2)] 7 Monday or Tuesday, June 9 or 10 – County Canvass of Votes. County canvass of votes convenes. [43.49] Thursday or Friday, June 12 or 13, 5 p.m. – Recount Deadline. Three days following the county canvass of votes is the deadline for recount requests to be filed in the office of the county auditor. [50.48(1) & 43.56] Monday, June 30 - State Canvass Of Votes Must Be Complete. Official State & federal election results will be available on line. Go to our website: www.sos.state.ia.us [43.63] General Election Calendar Monday, July 28 - State and Federal Candidates Filing Begins. First day for nonparty organizations and candidates nominated by petition to file nomination papers for state and federal offices in the office of the Secretary of State. Monday, August 4 – County Filing Begins. First day for non partisan candidates for county to file nomination petitions in the county auditor’s office. Thursday, August 7 – Withdrawal Deadline. Last day for candidates for state and federal offices who were nominated at the Primary Election to withdraw. Notice must be submitted in writing to the Secretary of State. [43.76(1)] Friday, August 15, 5 p.m. – State and Federal Filing Deadline. Last day to file nomination papers in the office of the Secretary of State. This includes nonparty political organizations. Candidates nominated by petition and political parties’ nominations to fill ballot vacancies. The deadline is 5 p.m. [43.78(2), 44.4 & 45.4] Friday, August 22 – Vacancies, Withdrawal and Objection Deadlines. Last day for candidates for county offices that were nominated in the Primary Election to withdraw. Notice must be submitted in writing to the county auditor. [43.76(2)] Last day for nonparty candidates who have filed nomination papers in the office of the Secretary of State to withdraw. Notices must be submitted in writing to the Secretary of State. [44.9(1)] Last day to file written objection to nomination papers filed with the Secretary of State. Wednesday, August 27, 5 p.m. – County Filing Deadline. Last day to file nomination papers for county and township offices in the county auditor’s office. This includes no party political organizations, candidates nominated by petition and political parties nominations to fill ballot vacancies. The deadline is 5 p.m. [43.78(3), 44.4, 45.4] Tuesday, September 2 - Withdrawal Deadline – County. Last day for nonparty and candidates nominated by petition who have filed nomination papers with the county auditor to withdraw in writing to the county auditor. [44.9(2)] Last day to file written objections to nomination petitions filed with the county auditor. [44.4(2)] 8 Thursday, September 25 - Absentee Ballots Must Be Ready. First day to vote an absentee ballot in the office of the county auditor. [49.63, 53.11 & 53.39] Monday, October 20 – Worry-Free Postmark Date. Mail-in voter registration forms which are postmarked on or before today are considered on time for the General election, even if they are received after 5 p.m. on October 25. Saturday, October 25, 5 p.m. – Voter Registration Pre-Registration Deadline. Five o’clock p.m. is the deadline to pre-register to vote for the General Election. This applies to registration in person (also registration at driver’s license stations or agencies) or by mail. Exception: Mail-in registration forms, that were postmarked on or before October 20, are considered to be on time even if they are received after the deadline. Saturday, November 1 - Auditor’s Office Open. Auditors’ offices open for at least eight hours for absentee voting and other election business. [47.2(5)] Tuesday, November 4 – General Election Day, Polls Open 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. [39.1& 49.73] Monday, November 10 – Absentee Ballot Deadline – Noon. Absentee ballots which were postmarked before election day (November 3 or earlier) and received by noon today are considered to be on time to be counted. [53.17(2)] Monday or Tuesday, November 10 or 11 - County Canvass of Votes. The county canvass of votes convenes. Tuesday, November 11 – Veterans Day Observed – State Offices Closed. Thursday or Friday, November 13 or 14, 5 p.m. – Recount Deadline. Three days following the county canvass of votes is the deadline for recount requests to be filed in the office of the county auditor. [50.48(1)] Monday, December 1 – State Canvass Complete. State canvass of votes must be finished. [50.38] [50.24] Official State & Federal election results will be available on line after the state canvass of votes. Go to our website: www.sos.state.ia.us 9 For additional information about – Filing forms and filing procedures please contact: Elections Division Office of the Secretary of State 321 E. 12 th St 1st Floor, Lucas State Office Building Des Moines, Iowa 50319 TEL: 515-281-0145 FAX: 515-242-5953 http://www.sos.state.ia.us/elections/index.html or email: sos@sos.state.ia.us Iowa' Ethics and Campaign finance reporting requirements, please contact: s Iowa Ethics & Campaign Disclosure Board 510 East 12th Street Ste 1A Des Moines, Iowa 50319 515-281-4028 FAX: 515-281-3701 Candidate Reports: email: linda.andersen@iowa.gov http://www.iowa.gov/ethics/index.htm To Order Lists of Registered Voters in Iowa, check our website or contact: State Registrar of Voters 321 E. 12th St. 1st Floor, Lucas Building Des Moines, Iowa 50319 515-281-8849 - Fax: 515-281-7142 email: sos@sos.state.ia.us http://www.sos.state.ia.us/elections/voterreg/index.html Political Parties, Please Contact: Iowa Democratic Party 5661 Fleur Drive Des Moines, Iowa 50321 515-244-7292 - Fax: 515-244-5051 www.iowademocrats.org/ Republican Party of Iowa 621 E 9 th St. Des Moines, Iowa 50309 515-282-8105 - Fax 515-282-9019 www.iowagop.org/ Hatch Act please contact: Hatch Act Attorney Iowa Dept. of Personnel Grimes State Office Building Des Moines, Iowa 50319 1-800-854-2824 NOTE: The information furnished in this packet has been compiled in the Office of the Secretary of State of Iowa to assist candidates and the public in meeting the requirements of Iowa' election laws. If any errors in s compilation or computation have occurred, or if there have been amendments to the Iowa Code, the provisions of the Code and the Session Laws shall prevail. 10