Regardless of the ire drawn by its initial voter suppression bill, Iowa has enacted a second piece of legislation that further suppresses the right to vote in the state. This legislation alert is from Democracy Docket. Here is an excerpt:
Governor Kim Reynolds (R) signed Senate File 568 into law on Tuesday night, adding further restrictions to establishing satellite absentee voting sites and severely limiting third-party ballot collection in Iowa. The League of United Latin American Citizens of Iowa swiftly filed an amended complaint against the state after the law’s passage.
The suit already challenges S.F. 413, which shortens absentee ballot return periods, cuts early vote days and hours, enacts new voter ID requirements, limits ballot drop boxes and more. The amended complaint addresses the new voter suppression provisions enacted in S.F. 568, alleging that it and S.F. 413 violate various sections of the Iowa Constitution and place an undue burden to vote on the state’s vulnerable and underrepresented citizens. Iowa saw no fraud or election irregularities during the 2020 election, which had historic voter turnout and absentee ballot use among residents. The Republican Secretary of State Paul Pate and other prominent election officials repeatedly assured voters the election was fair and accurate, which contradicts the flurry of new voter suppression bills the legislature introduced this year.
Read the amended complaint here.
Visit the legislation alert page here. Also, see related Democracy Chronicles articles like those on the Voter Access, Voter Turnout, or even seen our section on American Democracy.
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