IA HF928

Shifts authority for ordering recounts of statewide offices, legislative seats, and federal offices from county boards to the state commissioner of elections, with a threshold of 0.15% vote difference for statewide/federal races and 1% or 50 votes (whichever is lesser) for other races

Requires all recounts to use automatic tabulating equipment unless the state commissioner determines extraordinary circumstances exist, such as machine failure or discrepancies between initial count and recount results

Grants the state commissioner power to halt county recounts, take custody of ballots and equipment, and impose civil penalties up to $25,000 on county commissioners who purposefully conduct recounts in violation of law

Replaces three-member recount boards with the county commissioner and staff conducting recounts, while allowing each candidate to appoint up to five observers per county

Transfers election contest court jurisdiction from the secretary of state and multi-member panels to five district court judges appointed by the chief justice of the supreme court, with appeals going directly to the supreme court