Sen. Grassley's missing issue: Voting rights

I read with interest the government-funded report entitled, “Sen. Grassley Marks Policy, Oversight Accomplishments in 2021.” It is an impressive 40-page document with 24 color photos, fourteen of which show the senator in action, including one of him standing in his New Hartford farm field with his arms outstretched. The report is divided into 22 topics, arranged alphabetically from agriculture to whistleblowers. Each section describes the senator’s efforts to introduce or support legislation or policy related to one of these topics. He was obviously busy this past year.

Although I have specific concerns with many of Senator Chuck Grassley’s positions as outlined in his report, my overriding concern is the glaring absence of what I consider the most important governmental issue today, voting rights. The 9,800-word report does not contain the phrase “voting rights” even once. Where does Grassley stand on this topic? What action has he taken? How can a U.S. senator quietly sit by and allow state legislatures, including Iowa’s, to enact laws to restrict access to voting based on claims of election fraud which have been repeatedly proven to be false? Which of the 22 issues Grassley worked on in 2021 is more important for our democracy than the right to vote? His silence on this topic, and the silence of his colleagues in the Senate, speaks volumes about their legislative priorities and their vision for the future of our great country.

Thomas Cook

Iowa City