Statewide Iowa — Republicans on an Iowa Senate committee have approved a wide-ranging bill that sets 8 p.m. rather than 9 p.m as closing time for voting in all Iowa elections.
Senator Roby Smith, a Republican from Davenport, says county auditors asked for the change.
Senator Todd Taylor, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, objects.
The bill approved by the Senate State Government Committee would require all early votes cast by absentee ballot to be in the county auditor’s office by Election Day. Smith, the committee’s chairman, says that meets the goal of uniformity.
The bill forbids early voting sites on the three public university campuses. It also would require graduating students at Iowa, Iowa State and UNI to sign a form indicating if they plan to move out of state so their names can be taken off Iowa voter registration rolls. Senator Pam Jochum of Dubuque says several provisions in the bill would likely spark lawsuits.
Jochum and the other Democrats on the committee voted against the bill. It is now eligible for debate in the full Senate. A bipartisan effort is underway in the Iowa House to address absentee voting. It would require all county auditors to use a Postal Service tracking system to determine if ballots are mailed before Election Day.
