Linn Co. auditor fearful newest Iowa voting law will discourage Iowa voters
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed another voting bill Tuesday.
SF568 puts greater restrictions on who can deliver absentee ballots.
Under the new law, only family members, someone living in the same household or what the state calls a delivery agent, someone designated to turn in the ballot for disabled people, can deliver up to two absentee ballots to their county's auditor's office.
Absentee voters and people dropping off ballots will need to sign an oath and absentee ballots must include a signed date as well.
Before the new law, voters could drop off anyone's ballot to the auditor's office, a ballot drop box or mail box.
Linn County auditor Joel Miller told Iowa's News Now, Wednesday, he's fearful the new laws will deter voters from voting early and push more people to vote on Election Day.
"Unfortunately, this makes it look like we can't trust our neighbors," Miller said. "If we see anything wrong with an absentee ballot that we receive, it's basically disqualified. These laws are all about making voting inconvenient for people who want to vote by mail and people who want to vote early. If you force everyone to go to the polls on on Election Day you will have those lines that you saw on tv in some other states here in Iowa."
"I think that's absolutely false," Gov. Reynolds said Wednesday at a business convention in Coralville." You know, that's been a common reframe that we've heard. We've done probably three election bills over the last four years and in the last two elections we have had record turnout. It's just secures the election integrity and make sure Iowans feel confident."
If this law is violated, offenders can spend up to a year in prison or a face fine of $2560.
