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.
… Daniel Zeno with the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa criticized the amendment, which he said could create problems with same-day voter registration for some people. “We think it makes the bill worse,” he said.
The amended bill would eliminate the option of voting straight party with a single mark on a ballot. It would also close polls at 8 p.m. instead of 9 p.m., which is the current setup for primary and general elections.
Full Article: Proposed changes to voter ID bill would reduce early voting | The Sacramento Bee.