DES MOINES, Iowa - Today, Iowa Secretary of State candidate Brad Anderson announces his plan to increase turnout in Iowa's elections and his goal to be number one in the nation in voter turnout within a decade. Anderson's announcement includes a partnership with Mike Draper, owner of Des Moines' iconic t-shirt store RAYGUN. Draper designed a limited edition t-shirt available on www.AndersonForIowa.com to coincide with the announcement.
"Iowa has a proud reputation for civic participation, but there is always room to improve when it comes to voter turnout," said Anderson. "I believe the time has come for Iowa to take the reigns as number one in the nation in voter turnout, and I have a plan to get us there within the next decade."
Since 1980, Minnesota has led the nation in turnout in 13 of 17 elections - including the last nine straight election cycles. [Humphrey School of Public Affairs, 12/16/08; University of Virginia Center for Politics, 11/11/10; Washington Post, 3/12/13] In 2012, Minnesota led the nation with turnout of 76.1% of eligible voters. This means Iowa would have needed 43,423 more voters to vote during the last presidential election in order to take the reigns as the national leader in voter turnout.
"Minnesota has done a terrific job in turning out voters, and I give their Secretary of State Mark Ritchie a lot of credit for making civic participation a top priority," said Anderson. "That said, Minnesota has had their turn - it's now Iowa's turn to be number one."
Anderson is excited to partner with RAYGUN's Mike Draper on a limited edition t-shirt highlighting the campaign. "Mike is a highly creative, talented guy and I am grateful he shares my passion for voting rights and civic participation," said Anderson. The shirt will be available for a limited time for all contributors who donate at least $30 to Anderson for Iowa.
"If there's one thing I take seriously, it is Iowa's perpetual competition with Minnesota," said Mike Draper, founder of RAYGUN. "We finally have someone running for Secretary of State that is committed to closing the voter turnout gap. All we need after doing that is a nationally syndicated public radio show and we can declare victory."
ANDERSON 5-STEP PLAN TO BEAT MINNESOTA IN VOTER TURNOUT:
"Iowa has a proud reputation for civic participation, but there is always room to improve when it comes to voter turnout," said Anderson. "I believe the time has come for Iowa to take the reigns as number one in the nation in voter turnout, and I have a plan to get us there within the next decade."
Since 1980, Minnesota has led the nation in turnout in 13 of 17 elections - including the last nine straight election cycles. [Humphrey School of Public Affairs, 12/16/08; University of Virginia Center for Politics, 11/11/10; Washington Post, 3/12/13] In 2012, Minnesota led the nation with turnout of 76.1% of eligible voters. This means Iowa would have needed 43,423 more voters to vote during the last presidential election in order to take the reigns as the national leader in voter turnout.
"Minnesota has done a terrific job in turning out voters, and I give their Secretary of State Mark Ritchie a lot of credit for making civic participation a top priority," said Anderson. "That said, Minnesota has had their turn - it's now Iowa's turn to be number one."
Anderson is excited to partner with RAYGUN's Mike Draper on a limited edition t-shirt highlighting the campaign. "Mike is a highly creative, talented guy and I am grateful he shares my passion for voting rights and civic participation," said Anderson. The shirt will be available for a limited time for all contributors who donate at least $30 to Anderson for Iowa.
"If there's one thing I take seriously, it is Iowa's perpetual competition with Minnesota," said Mike Draper, founder of RAYGUN. "We finally have someone running for Secretary of State that is committed to closing the voter turnout gap. All we need after doing that is a nationally syndicated public radio show and we can declare victory."
ANDERSON 5-STEP PLAN TO BEAT MINNESOTA IN VOTER TURNOUT:
- Step 1: Simplify the Vote by Mail Process. Currently, Iowa voters must fill out a form and request to vote by mail for each election. Anderson supports allowing voters to sign up to vote-by-mail and check a box to automatically receive a ballot in the mail every election. This will save local auditors time processing requests and boost turnout among voters who regularly vote by mail but sometimes forget to request ballots ahead of time.
- Step 2: Online Voter Registration. Currently 13 states offer online voter registration and there is no reason Iowa should remain on the sidelines. Online voter registration has proven to be secure and saves local auditors time and taxpayers money. In this day and age, we pay our bills and even get drivers licenses online, so we can find a way to harness the power of the Internet to register to vote.
- Step 3: Create and Promote an Election Info Hub. Work with local auditors to provide a one-stop Election Information Hub for voters to check on accurate dates, times and polling locations for local and statewide elections. Utilize social media and traditional media outlets to promote the Election Information Hub to Iowa voters.
- Step 4: Reduce Number of Elections. Reduce voter fatigue and apathy by reducing the number of elections. Over the last year many voters in Iowa were asked to vote in more than a half-dozen separate elections, ranging from special elections, to school board elections to municipal elections to runoff elections. Combining many small elections into larger elections will increase turnout and save taxpayers time and money in the process.
- Step 5: Do No Harm. Over the past several decades Iowa Republicans and Democrats have passed and signed laws to make it easier to vote. Rather than chipping away at our voting laws and passing expensive, unnecessary bills that would make it more difficult for Iowans to vote, as Secretary of State I will devote our time and resources to finding ways to strengthen the integrity of our elections and get more Iowans to turnout for our elections.
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