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Scott County auditor seeks annual election-system renewal as state tightens recount rules
Summary
County Auditor Carrie Tompkins told the Scott County Board of Supervisors Committee of the Whole the office plans its routine annual renewal of the election-system service agreement and summarized two recently signed state bills that change conduct-of-election provisions and recount procedures.
Scott County Auditor Carrie Tompkins told the Board of Supervisors Committee of the Whole on June 3 that the auditor's office will proceed with the annual service-agreement renewal for the county’s election system and software so ballots can be tabulated at upcoming elections. "This is just an annual renewal... so that we have maintenance and software in order to tabulate all the ballots every year," Tompkins said.
Tompkins also summarized two bills signed by the governor this week that she said will change procedures across Iowa. The first, House File 954, she described as a "conduct of elections" technical cleanup that codifies several practices the county already follows, including scanning voter-registration forms into the state system and routine use of e-poll books. The second, House File 928, revises the state's recount process and, Tompkins said, "really changes things."
Why it matters: The renewal keeps the county's voting equipment supported; the state bills alter when and how recounts happen, which affects how close local results must be to trigger a recount and how recounts are conducted across counties.
Among the changes Tompkins summarized, the margin that can trigger a local recount is now 1 percent or 50 votes, "whichever is less," and the statewide threshold is now 0.15 percent. Tompkins said the law removes the requirement that a candidate post a bond and that the old recount board structure—including a candidate-designated representative—no longer applies; recounts will be machine recounts except in extreme circumstances, such as a known machine issue. "Hand recounts are pretty much off the table," she said, adding auditors will coordinate with the secretary of state for statewide recount filings.
Board members asked clarifying questions about terms and future equipment purchases. Tompkins said the county will consider longer-term renewal options when it purchases new machines, and noted recent maintenance work on machines from 2017 and 2023. She did not provide a formal vote or final authorization at the committee meeting; the renewal was presented as the routine, annual renewal the office carries out.
Ending: Tompkins said the statute changes should make procedures more consistent across Iowa and that the office will adapt processes for future elections as needed.
