IA Voter Group Plans Educational Push In Response To Election Law

Public News Service

May 18, 2021

DES MOINES, Iowa -- A nonpartisan political group said it plans to "double up" its outreach to inform Iowans about sweeping changes to the state's election procedures.

The changes came in a bill recently signed into law which, among other things, reduces the early voting window in Iowa. It also limits the use of drop boxes for absentee ballots and requires polling locations to now close at 7:00 p.m., instead of 8:00 p.m.

Terese Grant, President of the League of Women Voters of Iowa, said her group is concerned about all the provisions, believing they will affect many populations around the state. She expects a big push to educate voters about planning around the changes, even without an election pending.

"To have a plan, so they know what they're going to do, and they don't get caught turning in something late," Grant explained.

Iowa has municipal elections this fall, with the next statewide vote set for 2022, but Grant argued there are so many changes, people still might not be aware of them by the time these elections roll around.

The law, which is being challenged in court, was pushed through by Republicans, who say they want to restore faith in the voting system by creating uniformity. But opponents say it amounts to voter suppression on the heels of unfounded claims of fraud made by far-right groups nationally.

Grant's group is currently not part of the legal fight against the law. While it plays out, she noted they hope they can work with legislative leaders to soften some provisions.

"Going forward into the next session, 2022, that, you know, maybe we can make this thing better and not quite so restrictive," Grant emphasized.

After the law was passed, some GOP sponsors suggested they were open to changing certain language. The push to adopt the law mirrored similar Republican-led efforts in other states following the presidential election.

As for outreach, Grant said the League's statewide arm will place heavy focus on social media messaging, with contributions from local offices.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Senate File 413 03/08/2021 Iowa election calendar Iowa Sec'y. of State Lawsuit League of United Latin American Citizens 03/09/2021

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