Iowa
Iowa House passes voting limits bill
DES MOINES, Iowa- Iowa House Republicans on Wednesday cast the final vote needed to send a bill to the governor that sharply limits early voting in the state, months after a general election overseen by a Republican secretary of state that saw record turnout and overwhelming victories by GOP candidates.
Like states across the country with Republican legislatures, Iowa lawmakers said early voting must be reined in because of the potential for fraud, even after a successful election in a state with no history of problems.
The House passed the bill Wednesday, a plan approved by the Senate a day earlier. Democrats who are outnumbered in both chambers were left aghast but in no position to stop the changes.
If signed into law, the bill would shorten the early voting period from 29 to 20 days. Three years ago, it was reduced from 40 to 29 days.
It also requires most mail-in ballots to be received by the time polls close on Election Day, which would be moved up to 8 p.m., rather than 9 p.m. In November, ballots had to be postmarked by Election Day and received by noon on the Monday after the election, but the bill would remove the U.S. Postal Service postmark as a way to verify when a ballot was mailed.
The bill also removes voters from active voting lists if they miss a single general election and don’t report a change of address or register to vote again. The bill also means election officials cannot send out requests for absentee ballots unless a voter asks for it.
The new law would also mean satellite voting sites could only be set up if enough voters petition for one.
-
Local News1 week ago
Following a fatal crash, a Cedar Rapids man was sentenced to 25 years in prison with a 70% mandatory minimum after a deadly crash
-
Iowa2 weeks ago
Challenges and bans on books are becoming more common in Iowa libraries
-
Local News6 days ago
Cedar Rapids’ Cardboard Boat Regatta is coming back this summer
-
Local News2 weeks ago
Patients with AFib benefit from new technology developed at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
-
Local News2 weeks ago
Downtown Cedar Rapids sees the return of the Sapadapaso Parade
-
Local News1 week ago
Muscatine school nurse named Iowa School Nurse of the Year
-
Local News2 weeks ago
The renowned Marshalltown geese require additional water for their pond
-
Iowa2 days ago
The strategies that one city in Iowa is taking to deal with the persistent dangers of government shutdowns
Leave a Reply