DES MOINES, IOWA (October 29, 2020) — Attorney General Tom Miller issued the following advisory on legal questions related to the election:

"This election, Iowa can be a model for the rest of the country. I believe voters will be able to cast ballots safely and securely, and our election officials will count all of the votes accurately, fairly and as quickly as possible.

"Voters have been coming out in record numbers to be heard. Iowans who choose to vote on Election Day must be able to do so safely as well.

"I believe voters will decide the outcome of this election, not candidates or government officials.

"Voter-intimidation is a felony and will not be tolerated in Iowa. Multiple state and federal laws protect your rights and address disruptions and unrest on Election Day and after.

"If you see problems at polling sites, we encourage you to report them to precinct election officials and local law enforcement.    

"If you have questions, you can call the Secretary of State’s office at (888) 767-8683  or our office at 515-281-5164 or webteam@ag.iowa.gov

"Here in Iowa, we look out for each other, and we’ll take care of each other at the polls."

These Iowa laws are particularly important to remember and abide by during election season:

  • No one can intimidate, threaten or coerce you to vote or refrain from voting (Iowa Code 39A.2).

  • No one can destroy, deliver, or handle an application for a ballot or an absentee ballot with the intent of interfering with the voter’s right to vote (Iowa Code 39A.2).
  • No one can interfere with the validity of an election. No one can file a challenge to your right to vote by using false information (Iowa Codes 39A.3,  48A.14, or 49.79).
  • No one can post signs, congregate, solicit votes or loiter within 300 feet of the door to a polling place (Iowa Code 39A.3).
  • No one can interrupt, hinder or oppose a voter while in or approaching the polling place or when marking the ballot. This restriction includes poll watchers designated by political parties who are allowed in polling places (Iowa Code 39A.4).
  • Any precinct election official shall order the arrest of any person who behaves in a noisy, riotous, tumultuous or disorderly manner at or about the polls, so as to disturb the election (Iowa Code 49.105). 

Support the River Cities' Reader

Get 12 Reader issues mailed monthly for $48/year.

Old School Subscription for Your Support

Get the printed Reader edition mailed to you (or anyone you want) first-class for 12 months for $48.
$24 goes to postage and handling, $24 goes to keeping the doors open!

Click this link to Old School Subscribe now.



Help Keep the Reader Alive and Free Since '93!

 

"We're the River Cities' Reader, and we've kept the Quad Cities' only independently owned newspaper alive and free since 1993.

So please help the Reader keep going with your one-time, monthly, or annual support. With your financial support the Reader can continue providing uncensored, non-scripted, and independent journalism alongside the Quad Cities' area's most comprehensive cultural coverage." - Todd McGreevy, Publisher