Vander Linden Capitol Update – February 24, 2017

This last week brought a little calm before the storm at the Capitol considering the first funnel is at the end of next week. House Republicans are working hard to get legislation that is important to Iowans to the Senate. Below you will find some helpful information concerning some issues the legislature is addressing this session. Please contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

Large Majority of Iowan’s Support Election Integrity Law

On Sunday, the Des Moines Register reported that “a majority of Iowan’s say they think voters should have to present a government-issued identification card before casting a ballot.” This poll, distributed by the Des Moines Register and Mediacom, is timely as House Study Bill 93, which addresses this very issue, was assigned to the House State Government Committee this week.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate first released his proposal for a voter integrity bill at the beginning of the legislative session. Secretary Pate’s proposal was turned into HSB 93, and will be considered by the State Government Committees in both the House and the Senate before the end of next week. This proposed bill strengthens the integrity of Iowa’s election system, encourages the use of new voting technology, provides a system of checks and balances to ensure voter identity fraud is not occurring, and aligns some of Iowa’s voting regulations with many of our Midwestern neighbors; all without suppressing or infringing voter rights.

House Study Bill 93 Proposed Changes:
Voter Verification:

Ensures that registered voters are who they say they are when they vote and that they vote only once.
This applies to currently registered voters as well as absentee ballots.
1. Require ID of all voters at polling site: use existing Iowa Driver’s License/passports/military or veteran IDs for all who have them, and a new and free ID to all active voters who don’t have DOT-issued IDs will be provided
Require ID number on all absentee ballot requests. Requests without ID numbers will be returned to voter to revise, and then sent back in.
2. Election officials verify signatures, with the signature presumed to be valid unless obviously signed by someone else.
3. Forms a revolving loan fund to enable counties to deploy electronic poll book systems in all precincts and update electronic poll book data security. IDs will be scanned on the electronic poll books.

Shoring up voter confidence related to absentee voting and voter registration:
1. Create an “earliest date to request” for an absentee ballot at 120 days.
The requests would not be filled until the ballots are ready, about 45 days before a general election. Presently voters can mail an absentee ballot request AT ANY TIME, even years before an election. This causes confusion, and often times those forms are misplaced before the ballot is ready to be sent.
2. Moves the latest date to request an absentee ballot by mail to 10/11 days before election. This moves the mailed-in request time frame to accommodate current postal office delivery standards. Presently, the deadline is the Friday before the election, making it impossible to get the ballot to and from the voter before the polls close on Election Day.
3. Cancels voter registration of people who swear on jury questionnaire they are not U.S. citizens. Currently, if it is proven that someone who is registered to vote in Iowa is not a citizen of the state or the country, nothing happens to their voter registration status.

Improved transparency in election administration:
1. Establish post-election audits to affirm the results or illuminate problems that need to be addressed.
2. Require county auditors to certify their completion of mandated election training, logic and accuracy tests, and publications. Copy of certification filed with county and state.

Historically, Iowa has not had many instances of voter fraud. Opponents of Voter ID laws argue this is reason enough that Iowa’s voting system does not need any change. However, if Iowa wants to remain a state with the most secure elections, then changes proposed in HSB 93 are needed to protect election integrity.

One of the biggest benefits resulting from HSB 93 is the increase in use of electronic poll books across the state. A large number of Iowa’s 99 counties are already using the electronic poll book program; and the ones who have implemented it have benefited from its security, how easy it is for precinct official’s to use, and the speed and accuracy of results. The cost to implement the system can be burdensome for smaller counties but HSB 93 sets up a revolving loan fund to help with the initial expenses of enacting the system.

House Republicans are committed to ensuring the integrity of Iowa’s election system, and eliminating voter fraud in every circumstance possible. HSB 93 would ensure the integrity of Iowa’s proven secure election system. Below is a breakdown of how Iowa’s current Voter ID law is structured:

Voter ID laws differ from state to state, and are classified into two groups: strict and non-strict. Iowa’s current Voter ID laws are considered non strict; meaning that some voters without acceptable identification have an option to cast a ballot that will be counted without further action on the part of the voter.

Current Requirements:
Iowa Code Section 48A.5 outlines the qualifications to register to vote in Iowa. Any person wishing to register to vote must have one of the following:

  • Possess a valid passport or identity card and registration issued under authority of the United States secretary of state, or
  • An alternative form of identification consistent with the provisions of applicable federal and state requirements

All alternative forms of identification that are currently accepted under the Iowa Secretary of State office are:

  • Iowa driver’s license or non-driver ID card
  • Out-of-state driver’s license or non-driver ID card
  • U.S. Passport
  • U.S. Military ID
  • ID card issued by employer
  • Student ID issued by Iowa high school or college

If a voter in Iowa does not have any of these identifications, they may still be able to vote if:

  • They cast a provisional ballot
  • They sign an affidavit of eligibility

Early voting in the state of Iowa for presidential election years lasts 40 days and is allowed until the day before the national Election Day, one of the longest in the country. Early voting in Iowa is primarily done via absentee voting.

Absentee Voting:
If a resident of Iowa chooses to vote absentee, they may download the application for a ballot online and mail to their county auditor’s office, or request to have one mailed to their home address. They may also choose to cast their ballot in person at their county auditor’s office any time during the 40 day early voting window. If someone opts to cast their ballot in person at their county auditor’s office, they may not walk out of the office with that ballot – it must be completed and submitted in the office. However, if the ballot is mailed to their home address they may hang onto that ballot until Election Day, and it must be returned by the time polls close.

Voting on Election Day:
Iowa election polling places are open from 7 am- 9 pm, one of the longest hours of operation in the country. All of Iowa’s Midwest neighbors close their polls at 8 pm, which allows them to report results in a timely and efficient manner. Iowa is usually the last of the Midwest states to report results for national elections. Election officials at polling places are not allowed to substitute shifts throughout the day, meaning that workers in Iowa are putting in a full 9 hour day before beginning to tally the overwhelming amount of ballots they received throughout the day. This fatigue adds to the delay in reporting results, and adds a greater possibility for error when counting.

Posted by on Feb 24 2017. Filed under Local News, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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