Iowans will vote on 2 constitutional amendments in November
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
Besides electing a new president, Iowa voters will decide this year whether to make two amendments to the state's constitution.
State of play: Voters are already able to request absentee ballots for the Nov. 5 election.
Gubernatorial line of succession
This proposed amendment would repeal and replace a section of the state constitution that governs what happens when an Iowa governor resigns, dies or is removed from office.
Friction point: The issue surfaced in 2017 when former Gov. Terry Branstad resigned after being appointed by former President Donald Trump to serve as U.S. ambassador to China.
- Then-Lieutenant Gov. Kim Reynolds became governor, but former Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller issued a legal opinion saying that based on his reading of the constitution, she had not technically vacated her old gig and could not formally appoint a new lieutenant.
State of play: Reynolds appointed Adam Gregg as her lieutenant, but Miller's opinion found that Gregg would not have been able to actually succeed Reynolds until she won re-election the following year.
- Instead, the Senate president would have filled the office of governor.
- The amendment would clarify the process and formally allow a lieutenant governor to take over and appoint someone to fill their former spot.
Reality check: The chair of the Polk County Democratic Party wrote to supporters he is opposing the measure because he believes it puts too much power in the governor's hands.
Voter rights
This proposed amendment would codify in the state constitution that 17-year-olds who are 18 by the general election are allowed to vote in primary elections.
- It would also change the voting age from 21 to 18 in the state constitution.
Yes, but: Voting advocates and local Democrats have recently raised concerns that the measure also is effectively a ban on noncitizens voting, as it proposes to change the constitution so that "only" citizens can vote, instead of "every" citizen.
- That would bar future legislatures from amending state law to authorize noncitizens to vote in local elections, as has been done in some jurisdictions outside of Iowa.
- Those implications have not been widely discussed by politicians of either party in the five years the proposal has been under consideration.
The fine print: The age voting regulations had already been practiced via state law.
Editor's note: This story was updated to include information about new opposition to the proposals.