Des Moines, Iowa — The chairman of the Iowa GOP says the party will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a voter turn-out effort this year. Jeff Kaufmann says getting Republicans to vote BEFORE Election Day is the priority.
Kaufmann says once an Iowa Republican votes early, the party will no longer call or send them reminders in the mail — or pay people to knock on their door to ask about their voting plan. While former President Trump has said his goal is to have all votes cast on Election Day, Trump has called early voting and absentee voting an acceptable option in 2024.
Democrats have embraced early voting for years. In 2022, for example, Democrats held a significant edge in early voting a week ahead of Election Day. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds says heading into this year’s election, she has a simple message to her fellow Republicans.
Reynolds and Kaufmann made their comments Wednesday night at a fundraiser for House Speaker Pat Grassley. Grassley’s grandfather — US Senate Chuck Grassley — closed his remarks at the event by announcing he intends to vote early.
Iowans can submit absentee ballot request forms to their county auditor now. County auditors may start sending ballots to voters on October 16th. The early voting period in Iowa used to be 40 days before Election Day, but Republican lawmakers have taken steps to reduce the early voting window to 20 days. And absentee ballots must be in the county auditor’s office by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
