Capitol Notebook: Iowa bill changing county supervisor elections goes to governor

Elections for county supervisors in the state’s most populous counties would change under a bill passed Tuesday by the Iowa House.

House File 786, passed 65-33 along party lines with Democrats in the minority, would require that supervisors be elected from single-member, equal-population districts in counties with populations of 125,000 or more or which are home to one of Iowa’s three public universities — Johnson, Story and Black Hawk.

Iowa county supervisors can be elected three ways, including countywide by district, countywide without district residence requirements for members or from equal-population districts in which voters of each district elect a single member.

Republican Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, of Wilton, said the bill will give rural voters a stronger voice in counties with majority urban populations.

“The current system is a system for some that is voter suppression,” Kaufmann said. “I am against voter suppression. I'm sorry that some of you may see this, in my opinion, through a partisan lens. This is not about partisan politics. This is about making sure that all votes count, including those votes in the rural areas.”

Democratic Rep. Adam Zabner of Iowa City said it is aimed at counties that typically elect Democrats. Johnson County now elects its five supervisors at-large.

“What I don't understand is why this only applies to counties in which there are regents universities,” Zabner said. “This is a blatant political effort to change who is elected in these counties, to take down supervisors who have been elected by the voters. The only people who should decide who are the supervisors of these three counties should be the voters there who are eligible to participate in elections.”

The bill also would require that vacancies that open up be filled by a special election — rather than by an appointment — if there are two and a half years left on the term and it’s in a county of 125,000 or more people or that is home to a public university.

A panel of elected officials has decided to fill an opening on the three-member Linn County Board of Supervisors by appointment after Supervisors Ben Rogers resigns effective April 1 — leaving about a year and a half on his term.

The Iowa Senate passed a companion bill last week. The legislation will go to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk to be signed.

Senate approves raising speed limit to 60

The default speed limit in Iowa would be raised from 55 to 60 mph under legislation approved by Senate Republicans. State law sets other specific speed limits for some roads, such as in residential areas and on highways and interstates, which would not change.

Democrats opposed the proposal, saying the added speed will make Iowa roads more dangerous.

Sen. Kerry Gruenhagen, R-Walcott, said the average speed on roads with 55 mph limits already is between 62 and 64 mph.

Senate File 378 passed, 36-12, with most Republicans supporting and most Democrats opposing. The bill is now eligible for consideration in the House.

Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau