How does the election process work?
The Iowa Constitution provides that Representatives shall be elected to two-year terms and Senators shall be elected to four-year terms and that, as nearly as possible, one-half of the members of the Senate shall be elected every two years.
To implement this constitutional requirement, elections in Iowa for state Senate seats are staggered, with elections in odd-numbered Senate districts in 2006, and 2010, and elections in even-numbered Senate districts 2004, and 2008.
What statewide offices represent the entire state of Iowa?
The Governor, Attorney General, Treasurer, Auditor, and Secretaries of State and Agriculture are the statewide offices that represent the state of Iowa. The length of term for these offices is four years. The elections for these offices are held in even numbered years. The next election for these positions will be in 2006.
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How are legislative elections and reapportionment determined?
The General Assembly, in each year immediately following the United States 10-year census, is required to determine and establish the senatorial and representative districts. The districts established are of compact and contiguous territories, and are drawn on the basis of population.
Representative districts are to be drawn wholly within a single senatorial district. A district shall not be drawn for the purpose of favoring a political party, incumbent legislator member of Congress or other person or group, or for the purpose of augmenting or diluting the voting strength of a language or racial minority group. In establishing districts, no use shall be made of the addresses of incumbent legislators or members of Congress, the political affiliations of registered voters, previous election results, or demographic information other than population.
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