49.10 Polling places for certain precincts.

1. Polling places for precincts outside the limits of a city, but within the township, or originally within and set off as a separate township from the township in which the city is in whole or in part situated, and a polling place for a township which entirely surrounds another township containing a city, may be fixed at some room or rooms in the courthouse or in some other building within the limits of the city as the commissioner may provide.

2. If the commissioner determines, or if a petition be filed with the commissioner ninety days before any primary, general or special election stating that there is no suitable or adequate polling place within a township constituting a voting precinct and that it is desirable and to the interest of the voters of that township voting precinct that a voting place be designated for it outside its territorial limits, the commissioner shall fix a polling place for that precinct, outside its territorial limits, which the commissioner deems convenient to the electors of the township precinct. A petition submitted under this subsection must be signed by eligible electors of the precinct exceeding in number one-half the total number of votes cast in the township precinct for the office of president of the United States or governor, as the case may be, at the last preceding general election. When the commissioner has fixed such a polling place it shall remain the polling place at all subsequent primary, general and special elections, until such time as the commissioner shall fix a different polling place for the precinct.

3. In any city in which precinct lines have been changed to comply with section 49.5, the commissioner may fix the polling place for any precinct outside the boundaries of the precinct if there is no building or facility within the precinct suitable and available for use as a polling place. In so doing, the commissioner shall fix the polling place at the point nearest the precinct which is suitable and available for use as a polling place and is reasonably accessible to voters of the precinct.

4. A single room or area of any building or facility may be fixed as the polling place for more than one precinct. The location of each polling place shall be clearly marked within the room or area on the days on which elections are held as the location of the polling place of a particular precinct, and suitable arrangements shall be made within the room or area to prevent direct access from the polling place of any precinct to the polling place of any other precinct. When the commissioner has fixed such a polling place for any precinct it shall remain the polling place at all subsequent elections, except elections for which the precinct is merged with another precinct as permitted by section 49.11, until the boundaries of the precinct are changed or the commissioner fixes a new polling place, except that the polling place shall be changed to a point within the boundaries of the precinct at any time not less than sixty days before the next succeeding election that a building or facility suitable for such use becomes available within the precinct.

5. If two or more contiguous townships have been combined into one election precinct by the board of supervisors, the commissioner shall provide a polling place which is convenient to all of the electors in the precinct.

[C97, §1091; S13, §1091; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §728; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §49.10]

93 Acts, ch 143, §15; 2006 Acts, ch 1002, §1, 4