Iowa Code § 49.14

(1) The commissioner may appoint substitute precinct election officials as alternates for election board members. The responsibilities and duties of a precinct election official present at the time the polling place was opened on the day of an election may be assumed at any later time that day by a substitute appointed as an alternate. The substitute shall serve either for the balance of that election day or for any shorter period of time the commissioner may designate. At partisan elections, a substitute precinct election official assuming the duties of a precinct election official shall be a member of the same political party as the precinct election official whose duties are being assumed, unless substitution of a precinct election official not of the same political party results in no more than a simple majority of the total number of precinct election officials serving in that precinct being members of the same political party.

(2) Substitute precinct election officials shall be appointed and shall serve in accordance with sections 49.12, 49.13, 49.15, and 49.16, and shall receive compensation as provided by sections 49.20 and 49.125. Upon arriving at the polling place and prior to performing any official duty, a substitute precinct election official shall take the oath required by section 49.75.

(3) The commissioner shall not employ substitute precinct election officials in a partisan election unless:

(3) (a) The election board panel drawn up pursuant to section 49.15 contains the names of a sufficient number of political party designees to permit appointment of both the regular precinct election officials and any substitute precinct election officials from that panel; or

(3) (b) The commissioner has informed the county chairpersons of the political parties referred to in section 49.13, subsection 2, thirty days prior to the date of the election, of intent to appoint substitute precinct election officials and has allowed ten days thereafter for the respective county chairpersons to provide additional names of persons from whom the substitute precinct election officials shall be appointed. If a county chairperson fails to provide additional names after being so notified, the commissioner may appoint persons known to be members of the appropriate political party or parties.

[S81, §49.14; 81 Acts, ch 34, §25]2007 Acts, ch 59, §7, 19; 2010 Acts, ch 1026, §4, 17