Supervisors say state code ambiguity hampers petition process; lawmaker expected to file fix

Several Tama County supervisors told colleagues at a special meeting Aug. 17, 2026, that inconsistent interpretations of state election law have complicated how citizen petitions are handled, and they urged state lawmakers to clarify the code.

Supervisor David Turner said differing readings from the Secretary of State, the county attorney and courts have created confusion. He told the board that "there has been too much angst over this process because our codes are not clearly defined." The comment came during discussion of a petition received Aug. 10 that seeks to place a question on the Nov. 2026 ballot to reduce the board from five members to three.

Supervisor Mark Doland said he had met Representative Fisher about the issue and reported that Fisher "is going to file legislation to fix this in the next session." The minutes do not include bill text or a legislative timeline; the comment was a supervisor’s report of a planned legislative step rather than a formal county action.

The minutes also note that county staff — specifically employees from the Auditor’s Office — reviewed the Aug. 10 petition for statutory compliance and found it "valid on its face." The board recorded motions related to the petition and then adjourned at 9:49 a.m.