Iowa governor signs GOP-backed bill that limits early and Election Day voting

(Image credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

published 9 March 2021

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed into law on Monday night a GOP-backed bill that restricts voting access.

The bill was opposed by all Democratic legislators, The Associated Press reports. Under the measure, early voting is cut back from 29 days to 20 days, and most mail-in ballots must be received by Election Day, instead of postmarked by Election Day. The bill also changes voting hours, forcing sites to close at 8 p.m. rather than 9 p.m., and bans election officials from sending out unsolicited absentee ballot request forms.

Republican lawmakers said the law is necessary to prevent voter fraud, but also admitted that Iowa doesn't have a history of election irregularities. The state had record turnout for the November presidential election, with more than 70 percent of Democrats voting early, and there were no reports of voter fraud. Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Ross Wilburn called the legislation "harmful," while Reynolds said it promotes "more transparency and accountability, giving Iowans even greater confidence to cast their ballot."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox