On June 2nd, voters throughout Iowa came out to the polls to vote for who they wanted as the Republican and Democratic candidates in the November general election. Due to COVID-19 Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate encouraged voters to vote by absentee ballot as well as limited the number of precincts open to help slow the spread of COVID-19. The results were a record number of voters who chose to vote by absentee ballot and overall. Following the June 2nd primary, the Iowa Senate has approved a bill opponents argue would make voting more difficult in the November election. State Senator Amy Sinclair tells KNIA/KRLS News that according to her the bill doesn’t change anything in regards to absentee voting. She says the bill sets certain parameters for local election officials, candidates, and voters to make sure current law is what governs elections. Sinclair says the bill stops any emergency declarations from having a major impact on voters. 

Senator Sinclair says the bill would put a limit on the number of polling places that can be closed in a time of emergency, as well as put checks on the Secretary of State’s emergency powers. In Marion County alone, precincts were consolidated down from 17 to five in the June 2nd primary due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Sinclair, by consolidating precincts the state is just asking more voters to be in one area as opposed to being spread out like normal. The Iowa House rejected the Senate’s proposal Thursday, and a bipartisan compromise would narrowly focus on the Secretary of State’s office, requiring an emergency declarations to be approved by a State Legislative Council