The continued erosion of voting rights in Iowa

Ever since taking power a decade ago, Republicans in state government have moved aggressively to limit the right to vote in Iowa.

Predominantly, they have done this by cracking down on the amount of time in which people could vote by mail.

The GOP has long recognized this wider opportunity to vote was more advantageous to Democrats, so they moved to limit it as much as possible. Some Republican leaders — most notably President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance — have proved themselves hostile to the very idea of early and mail-in voting. But so far, we have maintained this, albeit more limited, right in Iowa.

Still, each year we see Republicans at the Legislature seek to further curb our voting rights.

Most recently, in 2025, lawmakers changed how voters in Johnson, Story and Black Hawk counties were allowed elect their local boards of supervisors. This was done by Republican legislators so their allies in these Democratic counties would have a better chance of winning some of these seats.

Initially, GOP lawmakers targeted Scott County, too, but its county board is already dominated by Republicans, so they limited their gerrymandering to three counties dominated by Democrats.

Republicans won’t admit these changes are about gaining an advantage over the opposite party. They falsely claim they’re about ballot security or limiting the power of college students. But in truth, this is old-fashion machine politics.

Now, Gov. Kim Reynolds is taking the next step down the road toward limiting the right to vote in Iowa. She is proposing to take away the right of the people to elect their county auditor, treasurer and recorder. Instead, county boards of supervisors would appoint these officers.

This is a profoundly bad idea, especially when it comes to county auditors. I can’t think of any time in my 35 years covering politics that the administration of elections is more important than it is today. There is so little trust in the world of politics that taking away the right of the people to choose the person who runs their local elections would significantly undermine what confidence remains.

Reynolds claims there is “no reason” these positions should be elected ones, but I can’t think of a single reason why voters shouldn’t be able to choose the person who administers their most sacred civic franchise: the right to vote. Putting this right in the hands of a person who is shielded from being directly accountable to the voters is just plain wrong.

I didn’t always think this way.

About 25 ago, I wrote a column suggesting it wasn’t good for partisan officials to oversee elections. But as much as there are weaknesses to the current system, I have come to believe through experience there are some governmental functions so important that the people should have direct control over who holds these positions. Besides, local appointments are already driven by partisanship and too often they are cloaked in secrecy and cronyism.

Direct voter control is the only proper antidote.

The county auditor’s office isn’t the only position in which voters ought to have some measure of direct control.

County treasurers handle millions of dollars in property taxes, and they invest those funds, too. Both of these functions are vitally important to the public. Treasurers shouldn’t be insulated from the judgment of voters on how they are conducting these duties.

Reynolds told the Des Moines Register recently that, as a former county treasurer herself, “I would have loved not to have to run for office.”

I can understand why she wouldn’t have wanted to bother. But the convenience of local elected officials is a lousy reason to take away the voting rights of Iowans.

Since Republicans took complete control of state government a decade ago, we have seen a top-down approach to governing in Iowa. Lawmakers and the governor have dramatically consolidated control in numerous ways. Among these was the elimination of numerous state boards and commissions, which have limited the voices of regular Iowans.

They also have diverted to the governor control over the selection of judges and put strict limits on the ability of local governments to run their own affairs. They have done the latter in numerous ways, which include restricting their ability to raise local wages, regulate fireworks and make streets safer through the use of speed- and red-light cameras.

We the people can’t even petition for a change in the state Constitution the way many other states can.

Now, the governor wants even to limit which local officers we’re allowed to choose.

I hope the Legislature rejects her proposal.

Notably, the governor doesn’t include county sheriffs on her list of officers to be appointed. I agree with her about this. Public safety is so vital to the interests of the people of Iowa that we should not relinquish our right to have a direct voice in who holds this job. But neither should we deny Iowans the right to choose the people who run their local elections and handle their tax dollars.

Ed Tibbetts’ writing can be found at Along the Mississippi, which is a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.