Two Democrats walked out of an Iowa House subcommittee meeting on an election bill that would impact the 2024 general election ballot, making it more challenging to challenge Donald Trump’s candidacy.
The bill includes provisions to allow convicted felons to appear on the ballot, ban ballot drop boxes, and change absentee ballot deadlines.
“Stop interrupting me,” Rep. Amy Nielsen said.
“I didn’t interrupt you,” Rep. Bobby Kaufmann said. “This is my subcommittee and I will refer to whoever I want to refer to whenever I want to refer to them. You don’t run this meeting, Rep. Nielsen.”
Democrats criticized the bill, questioning its integrity and impact on Trump’s candidacy.
“It takes quite a lot of nerve to call a bill an election-integrity bill when the point of the bill is to let felons run for office,” Adam Zabner said. “And particularly someone like Donald Trump, who has so little integrity.”
The bill would limit the grounds for challenging presidential candidates and ban ranked-choice voting.
“It is not our job to decide who’s on the ballot,” Kaufmann said. “It is the voters’ job and it’s arrogant, frankly, for us to think that we should overrule what they choose to do, whether that’s a D, an R, an independent, a Libertarian or Green Party or anyone else for that matter.”
“We’re not going to become a country of 50 different laboratories for right-wing and left-wing activism,” Kaufmann said. “The voters who choose a president need to be the ones who decide it, not the Legislature.”
“I just think Iowans need to let that set in,” Zabner said. “Someone who worked for the Trump campaign is here passing a law specifically to help Donald Trump.”
Republicans have been steadily shortening the state’s early voting window.
The bill also prohibits ballot drop boxes and would require voters to use a four-digit voter verification number when marking absentee ballots.
“I guess my goal is to find a place where we can stay long term,” Sen. Jason Schultz said.
“That would save a lot of folks from coming in for early voting and saying, ‘I don’t have my ballot yet,'” Sen. Janice Weiner said.
“Drop boxes provide an opportunity for voters to ensure their ballot is received in time without relying on uncontrollable external factors such as the Postal Service,” Adams County Auditor Becky Bissell said.
“Think somebody with a small child in the car,” Weiner said. “Think of an elderly person or someone who is mobility challenged and so forth who can drive up and drop it in rather than having to get out and go in.”
“It’s unnecessary when there’s a drop box in every city, in every county in the state of Iowa,” Kaufmann said. “They’re blue and they say ‘USPS’ on them.”
“Just keep the conversation going,” Better Ballot Iowa executive director David Gion said. “There is no reason to stifle the conversation and ban ranked-choice voting today. Let’s have a healthy conversation.”
“Ranked-choice voting may encourage candidates to work for the common good,” League of Women Voters of Metro Des Moines vice president Karen Person said. “Candidates in an election using ranked choice voting may be more likely to support the issues that benefit a broad range of citizens, rather than working for special interest groups that fund their campaigns.”
“Ranked-choice voting is political welfare for people that can’t win elections, in my opinion,” Kaufmann said. “I cannot stand ranked-choice voting.”
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