An Iowa judge Wednesday issued a temporary injunction barring the state from implementing some provisions of Iowa’s new voter ID law. The ruling, for now, restores the absentee early voting period from 29 days to 40 days and blocks certain ID requirements of the law, passed by the GOP-led Legislature and signed into law by former Gov. Terry Branstad in May 2017. Polk County District Judge Karen Romano ruled that elements of the state’s new system requiring state-issued voter identification numbers on absentee ballots could harm the rights of voters to participate in elections, “in contravention” of Iowa’s Constitution.
The lawsuit seeking to block portions of the law before the November election was filed by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) of Iowa.
The group argued in the lawsuit that provisions of House File 516 impedes Iowa’s voters by imposing unconstitutional restrictions on potential voters.
Romano blocked the parts of the law that would shorten the window for absentee voting and the requirement of an ID number of absentee-ballot applications.
The order also bars county auditors from rejecting an absentee ballot if they think a voter’s signature doesn’t match the signature on record, an state administrative rule adopted in December.
Full Article: Voting Rights Advocates Score a Temporary Victory in Iowa.