Republican Governor Kim Reynolds isn’t saying whether she’ll sign a bill that reduces Iowa’s early voting period and cuts an hour off Election Day voting, but Reynolds suggests it’s a direct response to Republicans who question the integrity of 2020 election results.
“There are Americans across this state that have some concerns about what happened in this last election,” Reynolds said. “…It’s imperative that it’s not just understood, but they feel that there’s integrity in the election process and they feel that it’s fair and it’s done in an equitable manner.”
Republicans won huge majorities in the Iowa House and Senate and President Trump won Iowa by nine points last fall — and Reynolds isn’t raising concerns with Iowa’s election results.
“I think we do it well in Iowa,” Reynolds said during a news conference yesterday. “I’m proud of our system. I think we’re a role model for other states, but we should always be looking at ways that we can enhance and improve.”
Republicans in the Iowa House and Senate passed the bill this week. It cuts nine days off the early voting period in Iowa and will require all absentee ballots to be in a county auditor’s office by 8 p.m. on Election Night. Ballots that are mailed before Election Day but are not delivered by that deadline will not be counted.