Iowa: Contentious voter ID bill gets final OK; heads to Branstad | Des Moines Register

The Iowa Senate gave final approval Thursday to contentious legislation that will require voters to show government-issued identification at the polls and will reduce the time period for early voting. House File 516 passed on a 28-21 vote with Republicans casting all the yes votes. Democrats and one independent all voted no. The bill now heads to Gov. Terry Branstad, who is expected to sign it. The measure had previously passed the Senate, but a second vote was needed on Thursday because of several amendments approved by the House. There was only brief debate Thursday, but Sen. Tony Bisignano, D-Des Moines, strongly objected to one amended provision. The change pushes back the date for allowing 17-year-old Iowans to vote in primary elections if they will turn 18 by the date of the general election. The change will now take effect on Jan. 1, 2019, instead of being available for the 2018 election. "This change goes hand in hand with a voter suppression bill," Bisignano said.

Iowa: Democrats question GOP’s spending on voter ID | The Gazette

After debating a voter ID bill for more than five hours Monday, Rep. Bruce Hunter wasn’t about to ignore its $700,000 cost. Hunter, D-Des Moines, challenged the line item in the Secretary of State’s budget during a meeting Tuesday of the Administration and Regulation Appropriations Subcommittee. He challenged any committee member to explain why the money was needed to implement House File 516, which is awaiting final approval in the Senate. Hunter and fellow Democrats repeatedly asked majority Republicans what problem they were trying to solve. There have been few problems with voter fraud and impersonation, “but we give them $700,000 to chase Don Quixote,” Hunter said. “Given the cuts in other departments, it is unconscionable to put in $700,000 for a problem that doesn’t exist,” he said.

Iowa: Budget includes funding for voter ID initiative, cuts for other programs | Des Moines Register

Legislative Republicans unveiled a budget proposal Tuesday that includes nearly $650,000 to implement a new voter ID initiative but makes $1.4 million in cuts to other departments and programs. Republicans said they were glad to support the Secretary of State's voter identification plan, but Democrats were immediately critical that it would come at the expense of other programs such as the Iowa Public Information Board and the Child Advocacy Board. "Given the cuts of every other department, this is unconscionable that we would put $700,000 into a problem that doesn’t exist when we have other problems that do exist and we’re cutting those departments," said Rep. Bruce Hunter, D-Des Moines. The proposal would provide about $47.4 million in funding to administration and regulation services. It's part of the state's overall $7.245 billion spending plan, which includes cuts to nearly every area of the state budget.

Iowa: Political back-and-forth continues on voter ID bill at Iowa Capitol | Des Moines Register

A bill that would enact voter identification requirements continues to inch forward in the Iowa Legislature as lawmakers make a final push to close out the session. The Iowa House debated House File 516 into the night Monday. The legislation would make significant changes to the state's election laws that Republicans say are needed to ensure the integrity of the process and prevent fraud. But Democrats contend the measure is about "voter suppression," and they offered an amendment that would have vastly expanded the types of accepted identification to include things like student IDs, tribal IDs, Medicare cards and hunting licenses. The amendment was voted down by the House's Republican majority.

Iowa: Secretary Of State’s Office Released Statistics That Its Own Staff Objected To | The Huffington Post

In an effort to highlight voter irregularities and push for stricter voting laws, Iowa’s top election official pushed statistics on alleged voter fraud that even a member of his own staff privately suggested were misleading, emails obtained by the Huffington Post reveal. This past January, Iowa’s Secretary of State Paul Pate (R) introduced a bill that required those who wanted to cast a ballot to show official identification, eliminated straight party voting, and established post election audits of the vote. This effort was part of a nationwide push by Republicans to enforce voter ID laws, even though voter fraud is virtually nonexistent. And to sell the measure, his office did what other Republicans have as well: it argued that while there’s been no evidence of voter fraud in Iowa, elections are insecure and could potentially be cheated.

Iowa: Voter ID bill gets Iowa Senate OK after contentious debate | Des Moines Register

Iowa voters would need to provide government-issued identification at the polls under an election bill approved Thursday by the Iowa Senate. House File 516, which was initiated by Secretary of State Paul Pate, passed on a 26-21 vote after a contentious debate. All Republicans supported the bill, and all Democrats and one independent were opposed. The bill returns to the House because it was amended by the Senate. The legislation is aimed at making sweeping changes to the state's election laws that Republicans say are needed to ensure the integrity of the process and prevent fraud. … Democrats called the legislation a "voter suppression bill" intended to help Republicans win elections by reducing voter participation by minorities, older people and people with disabilities.

Iowa: House GOP passes voter ID bill, sends to Senate | Associated Press

The Republican-controlled House on Thursday approved a voter identification bill, despite criticism from Democrats that the measure would suppress voter turnout among minorities, the elderly and the disabled. The bill by Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate would make several changes to Iowa's elections system, though most attention has been on a requirement that voters show approved ID at the polls. The measure is opposed by advocates for easier voting requirements such as the League of Women Voters of Iowa and elections officials including the Iowa State Association of County Auditors. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 34 states had laws in 2016 requesting or requiring voters to show identification at the polls.

Iowa: House approves voter ID bill following 12 hours of debate | Des Moines Register

Iowa would become one of 34 states that have enacted laws requesting or requiring some form of identification on Election Day under a bill approved by the Iowa House Thursday. House File 516 was approved on a party-line vote after nearly 12 hours of debate that spanned two days. It now advances to the Senate where a Republican majority also is expected to advance the legislation. Secretary of State Paul Pate, who submitted the bill, immediately praised its passage. … Democrats took to the floor Wednesday and Thursday in an effort to convince Republicans the legislation is unnecessary, expensive and would have a disproportionate and negative effect on minorities, the elderly, the disabled and others.

Iowa: Auditors question cost of state voter ID bill | Associated Press

Legislation that would require Iowa voters to show identification at the polls doesn't have enough money committed to it and will burden local governments, according to top Iowa elections officials. The concern from some members of the Iowa State Association of County Auditors came as the Republican-controlled House had formal debate yesterday over Secretary of State Paul Pate's voter ID bill. Some Democrats argued the proposal would suppress voter turnout, while one GOP lawmaker compared future voting under the proposed bill to checking out from an express lane at the grocery store. As lawmakers argued over the legislation, county auditors at the Capitol earlier in the day questioned the available funding. The bill doesn't have a formal price tag, though the non-partisan Legislative Services Agency, using details provided by Pate's staff, estimated the measure has a one-time fiscal impact of roughly $200,000 for the secretary of state's office. That includes $85,000 for state-issued IDs for people without Iowa driver's licenses.

Iowa: Democrats dig in as lawmakers debate contentious voter ID bill | Des Moines Register

The Iowa House of Representatives debated a contentious voter identification bill into the evening Wednesday as Democrats fought changes they say would disenfranchise voters. Debate was ongoing, but Republicans hold a strong majority in the chamber and are expected to approve the measure. “Voter ID is a commonsense reform that makes it easier to vote, harder to cheat and nobody is turned away," said the bill's floor manager, Rep. Ken Rizer, R-Cedar Rapids. If approved, House File 516 would make numerous changes to the state's election laws that Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate says are needed to ensure the integrity of the process and prevent fraud. Among them is a provision that would require every voter to present government-issued identification at the poll on Election Day, which Democrats argued would disproportionately hurt voter turnout among minority people, elderly people, disabled people and others.

Iowa: Iowans voice concerns as voter ID changes get public hearing | Des Moines Register

Some of the Iowans who attended a public hearing on proposed voter ID changes Monday night worried the proposal would disenfranchise voters, while others worried that failing to enact the changes could open the door for fraud. “Why would anyone resist a law to prove that they are eligible to vote in that precinct unless they are not eligible to vote in that precinct?” asked Kim Hiscox, a Polk County resident who spoke in favor of the bill. Others argued the legislation would make it harder for minorities, the elderly, the disabled, non-native English speakers and transgender Iowans to vote, despite Secretary of State Paul Pate's claim that "no eligible voter will be denied their right to vote by this legislation."

Iowa: Contentious voter ID bill advances in Iowa Senate | Des Moines Register

A contentious voter identification bill cleared an Iowa Senate subcommittee Wednesday, although critics said there is no evidence it's needed and a Democratic lawmaker scolded a state elections official for suggesting there is a lack of confidence in Iowa's election system. Senate Study Bill 1163, which is proposed by Republican Secretary of State Paul Pate, was approved on a 2-1 vote, advancing the bill to the Senate State Government Committee. Republican Sens. Roby Smith of Davenport and Jake Chapman of Adel supported the bill, while Democratic Sen. Tony Bisignano opposed it. The Iowa House is considering its own version of Pate's bill, which is House Study Bill 93. Deputy Secretary of State Carol Olson told the panel the legislation will modernize Iowa’s elections technology by establishing electronic poll books in every Iowa precinct. In addition, the bill calls for establishing a voter ID system with signature verification, absentee ballot verification and post-election audits.

Iowa: Republicans reverse course on reduced early voting | Associated Press

Iowa's top election official threw his support Wednesday behind GOP changes to his voter identification bill, after Republicans reversed course on plans to reduce early voting and polling hours in the state. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate initially declined to comment on whether he backed an amendment in the House that was briefly attached to his voter ID bill. It proposed reducing the number of early voting days in primary and general elections from 40 days to 29 days. It also would have cut polling hours for those elections from 9 p.m. to 8 p.m. Iowa currently has one of the longest early voting periods in the country, and Pate had not planned to change that distinction with his original version of the bill.

Iowa: Controversial voter ID bill would hurt out-of-state students | KCCI

A controversial bill that would require Iowans to show voter identification at the polls cleared an Iowa Senate subcommittee Wednesday, though the measure is being widely criticized for potentially preventing particular groups from voting. Ambassadors with the Andrew Goodman Foundation, a nonpartisan organization that works to promote young voices in democracy, wrote a letter this week voicing opposition to the legislation, Senate Bill 1163, saying it would “erect significant barriers to out-of-state college students’ eligibility to vote in Iowa.”

Iowa: House panel debates elections bill | Quad-City Times

Iowa is one of the top states in the nation when it comes to elections and the Republican-controlled House State Government Committee approved an Election Modernization and Integrity Act its sponsor said will make it even better. The committee, which convened briefly at 3 p.m. Tuesday but didn’t begin discussion until after 7:30 p.m., continued debating past 11 p.m. whether the bill would, as Chairman Ken Rizer, R-Cedar Rapids, said, “make it easier to vote, harder to cheat and nobody will be turned away.” In the end, the committee voted 14-9 along party lines to approve the bill, making it eligible for consideration by the full House.

Iowa: Proposed changes to voter ID bill would reduce early voting | Associated Press

Early voting in Iowa would be reduced under new proposed changes to a voter identification bill approved Monday by a Republican-controlled House subcommittee. The changes, introduced in an amendment by Rep. Ken Rizer, R-Marion, go beyond the scope of the voter ID bill originally filed and promoted by Secretary of State Paul Pate. The amendment was approved about an hour after it was made public during a subcommittee of the House State Government Committee, which Rizer chairs. It advanced with only Republican support. Among the changes is a plan to reduce early voting in a primary or general election in Iowa from 40 days to 29 days. Iowa has one of the longest early voting periods in the country. Rizer said it's wrong to assume fewer people will vote early under the proposed new system.

Iowa: Voter ID legislation advances in Iowa House | Des Moines Register

A bill requiring Iowans to show identification at the polls was approved by a panel of legislators Monday amid concerns the requirements could restrict access to voting. House Study Bill 93 would make a number of election-related changes that Secretary of State Paul Pate says are needed to ensure the integrity of Iowa's election processes and prevent fraud. Among them is provision that would require every voter to present valid government-issued identification, such as a driver's license or military ID. "We don’t have a voter fraud issue in the state of Iowa," said Connie Ryan, a lobbyist with the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa Action Fund. "And it makes no sense to put in provisions that would actually limit people’s ability to vote." According to an Associated Press report, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate's office was notified of 10 potentially improper votes cast out of 1.6 million counted statewide in the most recent elections. But the proposal remains popular. According to a Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll conducted earlier this month, 69 percent of respondents said they support requiring an ID to vote. And although the plan is most popular among Republicans, with 88 percent saying they support mandatory voter ID, 48 percent of Democrats also said they think voters should have identification.

Iowa: Senator Mark Chelgren wants political balance among university professors | Des Moines Register

A bill in the Iowa Senate seeks to achieve greater political diversity among professors at the state's Board of Regents universities. Senate File 288 would institute a hiring freeze until the number of registered Republicans and Democrats on the university faculty fall within 10 percent of each other. "I’m under the understanding that right now they can hire people because of diversity," said the bill's author, Sen. Mark Chelgren, R-Ottumwa. "They want to have people of different thinking, different processes, different expertise. So this would fall right into category with what existing hiring practices are." Asked whether the regents need greater diversity of thought, spokesman Josh Lehman said the board "expects the universities to hire the most qualified faculty to teach our students." Chelgren would not say whether he believes Iowa's universities have become too liberal. Rather, he said, he's concerned about "extreme views on either side."

Iowa: Contentious voter ID bill introduced in Iowa House | Des Moines Register

A contentious voter identification plan that is supported by Republicans and opposed by Democrats was introduced Wednesday in the Iowa House. House Study Bill 93, labeled the "Election Integrity Act," has been proposed by Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, a Republican. Pate said his plan will modernize Iowa’s elections technology by establishing electronic poll books in every Iowa precinct. In addition, the bill calls for establishing a voter ID system with signature verification, absentee ballot verification and post-election audits. … The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa has vowed to fight Pate's bill, calling it a solution in search of a problem.

Iowa: Election officials say they’ll oppose Iowa voter ID bill | Des Moines Register

A key group of election officials plans to oppose legislation proposed by Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate that would require voter identification at the polls and make other changes to the state's election system. The Iowa State Association of County Auditors confirmed Monday that the group voted Friday to register against Pate's bill. The group also agreed to form a committee that would suggest changes to the bill.

Iowa: Secretary of State: No extra money for voter ID outreach | Associated Press

Iowa's top election official doesn't plan to ask the Legislature for extra money to educate the public about a voter identification requirement that could soon become law, a move that advocacy groups say could impact how many people find out about the change. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate intends to use existing office funds to pay for voter education and outreach in connection to his proposal to require ID at voting polls. His office provided the details in response to a public records request by The Associated Press. "We are not asking for any additional funding for this, because educating and encouraging people to vote is part of the duties this office already conducts," said Kevin Hall, a spokesman for Pate, in an email Wednesday.

Iowa: Son of State GOP chair wants to end political party checkoff on state tax forms | The Gazette

An Iowa House member isn’t doing any favors for his father. Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, who succeeded his father in the Johnson-Cedar County legislative district, is proposing that the state stop collecting voluntary contributions to the state Democratic and Republican parties from Iowa income taxpayers. Kaufmann’s dad, Jeff Kaufmann, is the chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa. “My dad can raise his own money,” the younger Kaufmann said Wednesday after the House Ways and Means Committee approved his plan on a party-line vote. The income tax checkoff doesn’t raise a lot of money — $72,797 in 2016, but it allows Iowans, especially low-income Iowans, to make a contribution toward the political process, Rep. John Forbes, D-Des Moines, said in opposing the bill during the committee meeting.

Iowa: Pate focuses on tech upgrades in voter integrity bill | The Courier

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate stepped right into the middle of a heated debate over voting rights at a time when it is burning brightest. Former President Barack Obama called voter fraud a “fake news” story in his final press conference, while the term “hacking” gets thrown around with abandon after the 2016 election. The debate is happening as some states have ramped up efforts to limit the franchise after parts of the Voting Rights Act were struck down in 2013, and yet others have worked to expand participation. But Pate, a Republican, is hoping — probably in vain, if the early indications are correct — some of the “political nonsense” will die down once people get a good look at his Voter Integrity Act proposal.

Iowa: Democrats irked by Pate presentation without details of voter ID bill | The Gazette

With Secretary of State Paul Pate’s Election Integrity Act still in draft stage, Democrats on the House State Government Committee on Thursday complained it was hard to ask questions about his proposal to require all voters to present ID cards before casting their ballots. “We were hoping today to have the bill before us ... so we could ask about what it does and about problems and pitfalls,” Rep. Mary Mascher, D-Iowa City, said about the bill still being drafted by the Legislative Services Agency. “Part of the concern and angst we have about opening this up today is there are so many questions we have.”

Iowa: Voter ID plan isn’t aimed at election fraud, Pate says | Des Moines Register

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate on Thursday defended his new voter identification proposal as an effort to improve administrative efficiency — not to prevent fraud or disqualify voters. And he said he’d oppose any efforts by state lawmakers to expand the plan to include a more controversial photo-ID requirement for voters. “There are many legislators and they have different perspectives, but I’ve tried to encourage them to leave this bill alone, to treat it as what we’ve presented it as and try to keep it as clean as possible,” he said. Pate, a Republican, described his soon-to-be-introduced “Election Integrity Act” in a meeting Thursday with the Des Moines Register’s editorial board. The overall effort, he said, is to streamline election administration across the state by bringing electronic voter databases to every precinct in every county of the state.

Iowa: UI, ISU, UNI student leaders challenge Voter ID proposal | Iowa City Press Citizen

The student government presidents at Iowa's three public universities are speaking out against a new proposal to require Iowa voters to show their IDs at the polls. "We know firsthand how difficult it is to get students registered to vote already — with frequent address changes and being introduced to the electoral process for the first time — the last thing students need is another barrier to their participation," student government leaders at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa said in a statement released Sunday. The joint statement came in response to a plan released last week by Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, which calls for requiring voters to present an ID, which could include an Iowa driver's license, passport or military ID card. College IDs would not be accepted, but Pate's plan calls for issuing a new free ID to all existing active voters. Signatures would be verified at polling sites.

Iowa: Proposal would require ID for Iowa voters | Des Moines Register

Iowa voters would be required to present identification at the voting booth under a plan unveiled Thursday by Secretary of State Paul Pate. The proposal by the state's chief election official, which will be considered in the 2017 Iowa Legislature's session, is aimed at ensuring the integrity of Iowa's elections, Pate said. However, Democratic legislators and civil libertarians promised a fight over the issue, raising concerns that new rules could suppress voter turnout. Pate's plan would require all voters to present an ID, which could include an Iowa driver's license, passport, or military ID card for all who have them, and issuing a new free ID to all existing active voters. College IDs would not be accepted. Signatures would be verified at polling sites. … State Sen. Jeff Danielson, D-Cedar Falls, who chaired the Senate State Government Committee last session, issued a statement contending Pate's plan will disenfranchise older Iowans, younger Iowans and people of color.

Iowa: State’s top election official announces voter ID bill | Associated Press

Iowa will require voters to show identification at the polls under a bill announced Thursday by the state's top election official, and Republicans in the new GOP-controlled Legislature have indicated a willingness to pass it. The legislation mirrors voter ID bills introduced in Republican-controlled statehouses around the United States in recent years and comes just weeks after President-elect Donald Trump questioned — with no evidence — the integrity of voting in the presidential election. "We just want to ensure that voters are who they say they are," Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said in releasing details. Pate's office said a draft of the bill was not available yet, but included a plan to require Iowa residents to show an Iowa driver's license, passport or other approved form of ID to vote. The office would distribute free state-issued IDs to existing registered voters, according to Pate, though his office is seeking $1 million to help make that happen.

Iowa: Democrats consider absentee voting for Iowa caucuses | Des Moine Register

Iowa Democrats on Saturday cracked open the door toward allowing voters to participate in future Iowa presidential caucuses by absentee ballot. The Iowa Democratic Party Caucus Review Committee, meeting in Des Moines, discussed preliminary recommendations to the state party leadership to update the caucus process. Among the draft proposals would be to create a new process to allow more people to participate despite work conflicts, disabilities, out-of-state travel or the need for child care. “I think it’s a great way to expand access,” committee member Marcia Nichols of Des Moines said. “I think you are including people who are 24/7 workers, you’re including people who just can’t get to caucuses because of their physical limitation,” she said.

Iowa: New coalition aims to end felon voter disenfranchisement | Des Moines Register

Civil liberties advocates and a host of faith groups announced a new coalition Tuesday that will fight to ensure Iowans convicted of nonviolent felonies are not stripped of their right to vote. The coalition of 17 organizations will advocate for legislation and an eventual amendment to the Iowa Constitution to end a voting rights "crisis" in the state, said Rita Bettis, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, at a press conference. Iowa's system of disenfranchising felons even after they complete their sentences is among the harshest in the nation, she said. Disenfranchisement hits African-American communities particularly hard, fueled by disparities in the arrests of black Iowans compared with white residents, Bettis said. She cited an ACLU/Human Rights Watch report released earlier in October that found black Iowans are seven times more likely to be arrested for drug possession than white Iowans — the second worst rate of disparity in the U.S. "This system is unjust," Bettis said. "It leads to the systemic, disproportionate disenfranchisement of black Iowans, leaving them without a voice in our political process."