Des Moines, Iowa — Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law Monday that shortens Iowa’s early voting period by nine days, but a lawsuit has already been filed to challenge that law.
The changes were approved by Republicans in the legislature and are set to go into effect immediately. In a written statement, the governor said the new law gives Iowans even greater confidence to cast their ballots. The new law requires absentee ballots to be in a county auditors’ offices by 8 p.m. on Election Day and 8 p.m. is the new closing time for voting at polling places on Election Day for statewide and federal elections. It had been an hour later. County auditors lose some discretion in making local decisions. They can no longer set up satellite early voting sites on their own, plus county auditors could be charged with a felony for failing to follow the Secretary of State’s rules for the administration of election. That move comes after three county auditors sent absentee ballot request forms to voters this past fall that included voter information. The Secretary of State had ordered all forms to be blank.
On Tuesday a lawsuit seeking to block the changes was filed on behalf of the League of United Latin American Citizens. Marc Elias, the lead attorney, says the voting restrictions in the new law create an undue burden on the right to vote in violation of the Iowa Constitution. The lawsuit cites the record turnout for the 2020 election and accuses Republican lawmakers of making it a priority to pass a bill that restricts nearly every form of voting that Iowans relied on last year. Republican Governor Kim Reynolds says the law strengthens uniformity, provides transparency and gives Iowans even greater confidence to cast their ballot.
