House Votes to Require Mailed Ballots to Arrive Before Election Day

Absentee ballots would have to arrive by the day before Election Day to count under a proposal passed Tuesday by the Iowa House. Lawmakers approved House File 2610 with a 62-35 vote. The measure would change the early voting window in Iowa, requiring county election commissioners mail absentee ballots no earlier than 22 days before an election, and requiring ballots be received by 5 p.m. the day before an election to be counted. While the bill provides slightly more time for county auditors to mail absentee ballots to voters — an increase from 20 to 22 days before an election — Democrats said the measure requiring absentee ballots be received a day early to be accepted is unnecessarily burdensome for voters. Under current law, absentee ballots are accepted on Election Day upon arrival until polls close. Rep. Adam Zabner, D-Iowa City, said that not accepting absentee ballots on Election Day would make Iowa "one of the most restrictive states in the country" for voting access. House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst spoke in opposition to the bill, saying it would significantly burden people from participating in elections using the absentee system versus voting in person. She said the measure limiting the window for ballots to be received by election officials to vote could prevent Iowans' votes from counting because of circumstances outside of their control, like a post office delay. "If we as a state have agreed that absentee voting is a legitimate way to vote, then we as a state should not make it so that a person who votes one way has less of a chance for their vote to be counted than someone who votes another way," Konfrst said. Zabner and other Democrats said the measures restricting absentee voting in the bill would disproportionately impact Iowans with disabilities, and those who are older or live in rural areas. Rep. John Forbes, D-Urbandale, spoke against a component of the bill banning ballot drop boxes, speaking about his elderly father's preference for returning a ballot via drop box because of his concerns about the security of postal system. "I think this bill demonstrates to Iowans, especially Iowans that may have a difficult time getting to the voting booths and voting polls — it's going to make it more difficult for them to cast their votes," Forbes said. The bill's floor manager Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, said ballot drop boxes are a "product of COVID" and voting during the pandemic. But Zabner argued that the 13,883 Iowans who used drop boxes to vote in the 2022 election should continue to have that option. Other changes in the bill include a ban on ranked-choice voting systems and the creation of a voter registration database verification pilot program, as well as measures related to ballot challenges for federal candidates. In Iowa, candidates for federal office convicted of felonies would still be eligible to run for office under the legislation, and objections to the eligibility of a candidate would be limited to whether their petition or certification of nomination meets legal requirements. These proposed changes come amid former President Donald Trump's legal battles. In addition to facing multiple felony charges, his eligibility to appear on state ballots was in question due to a Colorado Supreme Court ruling that he was disqualified from running for office. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Colorado decision Monday, likely ending similar challenges to Trump's candidacy in several other states. Though Kaufmann, a senior adviser for Trump's presidential campaign in Iowa, did not invoke the former president by name, he said the bill would help prevent "activists from subverting the will of the people" through ballot challenges. He also pushed back against claims that the changes made to early and absentee voting would prevent people from voting. "Voter suppression from these bills is a myth," Kaufmann said. "… it gives Iowans more time to vote. It ensures that our vote remains the most secure in the country." The bill's companion, Senate File 2380, is eligible for consideration in the Senate.