DEEP DIVE: How Iowa lawmakers are threatening to suppress college voters

A new proposed bill wants to remove young voters from Iowa's voter rolls. Learn more and sign our petition to protect all Iowans' voting rights. [All On The Line] {NAME} -- Last week, we told you about Republican-controlled Georgia's passage of a "Heartbeat Bill" -- which may soon be one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country -- and how a gerrymandered state legislature played a big role in getting it passed, despite what Georgia voters actually want. Today, we're shining a light on Iowa, where the Republican-controlled state government is trying to suppress the votes of college students. [If you've already seen this story and are ready to take action, sign All On The Line's citizen petition right now and tell the Iowa GOP to stop trying to suppress young voters.]( [ What's going on? Iowa Republicans have made the shocking discovery that policies like "rip away affordable health care" and "don't address climate change" aren't popular with college-aged voters. One way to fix this? Have better policies. They've chosen a different route -- and are doing everything in their power to stop young people from voting in Iowa's elections. How would they do that? At first, the Iowa GOP wanted to ban early voting on public college campuses. County auditors spoke up and called it what it was: An attempt to disenfranchise voters. So now, they've settled for a subtler way: The state would require every graduating college student to take a survey asking whether they intend to remain in Iowa after graduation -- creating a list of eligible voters ripe to be kicked off of Iowa's voter rolls. "No" voters would be purged from voting lists. I remember senior year of college ... aren't their plans still up in the air? We remember that time, too! It's a time filled with uncertainty, to say the least -- these students may change their minds, or get offered a new job, or suddenly switch plans and end up staying in Iowa. And many may not understand the implications to their voter status if they mark "no" on the survey. Why target students like this? Beyond the obvious -- it's not just that these young voters aren't interested in bad policies -- think about where these students are located. Here are a few examples: - Iowa State University (Ames) is in Iowa's District 4, where Democrats came 3.4% away from ousting Republican Steve King in the 2018 midterms. - The University of Northern Iowa (Cedar Falls) is in Iowa's District 1, which Democrats flipped in 2018 by electing Rep. Abby Finkenauer in a close race. These are places where a few thousand votes make a huge difference -- and if Republicans can cut into Democratic gains, they'll do so at any cost. It's important to know: This is not the Iowa GOP's only attack on voting rights. Their bill would force polling places to close earlier on Election Day. It would require the state to mark a voter "inactive" if he or she misses a single presidential election. And just last week, the GOP-led Iowa State Senate rejected a proposal to restore voting eligibility to Iowans with past felony convictions -- an idea that Florida voters overwhelmingly passed last year. [Here's the lesson, {NAME}: The Iowa GOP knows it can't win in a fair system with strong voting rights and when every ballot counts like it should.]( So we need to fight this every step of the way to make sure Iowa's democracy stays fair. Sign All On The Line's petition today and tell Iowa Republicans to let their citizens vote: [SIGN OUR PETITION]( Thanks, José José Morales Community Engagement & Projects Director, All On The Line Paid for by Organizing for Action. Contributions or gifts to Organizing for Action are not tax deductible. This email was sent to: {EMAIL}. If that is not your preferred email address, you can update your information [here](=/). We believe that emails are a vital way to stay in direct contact with supporters. Click [here]( if you'd like to unsubscribe from these messages. Paid for by Organizing for Action, P.O. Box 618120 Chicago, IL 60661