Iowa board appointees lean Republican, from central Iowa

Iowa has 190 state boards and commissions governing or examining everything from accountancy and aging to watersheds and workforces.

Iowa's governor and lieutenant governor appoint members to more than 160 of these groups.

As of Nov. 14, 90 percent of the 1,540 state board and commission openings were filled, according to Iowa's Boards and Commissions website, which lists members of all the state groups.

Nearly half the 1,379 people appointed to the boards are registered Republicans, while 25 percent are Democrats and 27 percent are no party. Fifty-one percent of appointees are men.

Although state board and commissions represent all of Iowa's 99 counties, the largest share of members live in central Iowa. Polk County alone has 28 percent of the 1,379 active appointees. When you add nearby Warren and Dallas counties, it goes up to 35 percent. This is compared with Linn County, containing Iowa's second-largest city, which has only 5.4 percent of active appointees.

Some state boards and commissions are required by law to be balanced by gender, political affiliation or geography in Iowa, but not all have the same rules.

Term of service and skill requirements also vary by committee. For more information or to apply for a state board or commission vacancy, go to: openup.iowa.gov.

Continue reading: Read the main story regarding Gov. Terry Branstad's appointments to commissions that nominate people to become Iowa judges: Branstad names no Democrats to pick Iowa judges.

l Comments: (319) 339-3157; erin.jordan@thegazette.com