DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed into law a bill that limits the secretary of state’s ability to send absentee ballot requests to all registered voters.
The change signed into law Thursday followed a record turnout in this year’s primary election, largely because of a surge in absentee voting.
Senate Republicans pushed the measure through the legislature barely a week after a huge primary turnout, as Secretary of State Paul Pate sent ballot requests to all voters because of concerns in-person voting could be dangerous during the coronavirus pandemic.
If the coronavirus persists and Pate wants to mail ballot applications to voters before the November election, the measure that Reynolds signed would require approval of the Republican-run legislature.
