It's been a year since Iowa adopted sweeping election law changes. For those who haven't voted since then, local administrators say going in without a plan might bring some unwanted surprises for the June 7 primary.

Among the key changes is a shorter window for early in-person voting, which for this primary opens up on May 18.

Iowans also have less time to request and send in absentee ballots. Linn County Auditor Joel Miller said that's why people need to be thorough in filling out an absentee ballot.

He noted that with mail service not as speedy, fixing any mistakes won't be easy.

"Before, you used to have time to cure something," said Miller, "we could you send you a new application to fill out - but there's just not enough time. "

Miller said having an alternate plan can help voters overcome obstacles - including something non-election-related, such as a COVID-19 infection.

The deadline to request an absentee ballot is May 23. The new rules say it has to be received no later than the end of Election Day, rather than just being postmarked ahead of time.

Ballots received the day after won't be counted.

Rules surrounding ballot drop boxes also were modified, and now Iowa counties are allowed to have one designated location - which has to be under video surveillance.

Louisa County Auditor Sandi Sturgell said that's a noteworthy change for a rural area like hers, and voters should research availability.

"We are not using that any longer," said Sturgell. "They have to bring it directly into our office, because we don't have the security that they require for the dropbox that we had always been able to use before, that's on the courthouse wall. So, please don't put your ballots in there."

In 2020, some counties used multiple drobox sites amid COVID concerns.

Brad Anderson, state director of AARP Iowa, said they hope the changes won't deter older voters in this year's midterms - and that they'll see participation just as strong as the energy from two years ago.

"While some of those measures, such as every voter getting an absentee ballot request form, are not happening this cycle," said Anderson, "we want to let voters know that they do have a lot of options."

Beyond absentee ballots and early in-person voting at your county auditor's office, there will still be polling sites on Election Day. However, those will now close an hour earlier, at 8 p.m.

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has introduced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.

The timing comes amid conversations about whether voters have a bigger appetite for less divisive politics. Analysts said policies deemed progressive Walz has signed into law, such as a 100% carbon-free electricity standard, are things likely to be debated in the campaign. He has also emphasized bolstering reproductive rights.

David Schultz, professor of political science at Hamline University, said those can get people motivated to vote, whether you are for or against such moves. Some voters say Walz also represents a sense of normalcy, and Schultz pointed out there are signs the electorate wants common ground.

"If you actually poll people on a variety of issues, whether it's gun safety, immigration, helping the poor and so forth, there's actually much broader consensus in America on a whole range of issues," Schultz observed.

Walz also signed a law making school lunches free for all students, regardless of income, a move that had bipartisan support. Like other political scientists, Schultz added at the end of the day, the vice presidential pick usually does not move the needle much in determining the race for the White House, with only a few high-profile examples in recent decades.

Steve Simon, Secretary of State, when asked what it means for leadership in Minnesota, said nothing changes for the time being. Walz is still allowed to be governor while campaigning for vice president. Minnesota has seen politicians such as Walter Mondale and Hubert Humphrey go on to serve as vice president but the logistics were a little different from what might happen with Walz.

"The other two Minnesotans who served as vice president did so as sitting United States senators, which didn't kick off any sort of state constitutional process like this at all," Simon recounted. "There were other succession issues but not succession issues like this."

If the Harris/Walz ticket wins this fall, Walz would have between the election and Inauguration Day to resign as governor. Lieutenant Gov. Peggy Flanagan would then become governor, making her the first Native American woman to hold such a seat. The Minnesota Senate president, Democrat Bobby Joe Champion, would then be elevated to the state's second-in-command post. That would create the need for a special election to fill his legislative seat.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.


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From education to the environment and immigration, proposals in the "Project 2025" document alarm many New Mexicans promoting a more equal society.

The Heritage Foundation document promotes conservative and right-wing policies to reshape the government under a second Donald Trump presidential term, including elimination of the U.S. Department of Education.

Whitney Holland, president of the American Federation of Teachers-New Mexico, said efforts made to boost student test scores in a diverse state like New Mexico could be erased if nearly all education is privatized as proposed.

"We know that educators, practitioners know education best," Holland asserted. "And so that alone is terrifying to me, to have these kinds of evaluation, assessment, policymaking decisions not housed by people who know education."

Trump has previously supported the idea of dismantling the Department of Education but has distanced himself from Project 2025 after some of its more extreme proposals came to light.

On immigration, the former president previously said if reelected, he would compel local police to enforce federal immigration law. Going still further, the Heritage Foundation has stated its goal to "have the biggest mass deportation system ever."

Wacira Maina, deputy director of communications for the group Organized Power in Numbers, represents many poor, working-class and people of color in Southwest communities.

"Many of them are immigrants or folks of mixed status, and they're terrified of how this could tear apart their family," Maina observed. "They fear it's only going to put a target on their back and on anyone who doesn't look 'American enough' in the eyes of whoever's enforcing the law."

As a former teacher, Holland believes New Mexico's future generations could be handicapped by far-right proposals in Project 2025.

"From their point of view, there's power in having an uneducated populace," Holland argued. "We're going to perpetuate the cycle of poverty. If we keep people uneducated, unable to get high-paying jobs and trapped in these systems that disenfranchise them at every turn."


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A new report highlighted how the U.S. compares globally in disenfranchising people based on criminal convictions.

The study analyzed 136 countries and found most countries do not deny voting rights due to convictions.

Trey Walk, democracy researcher and advocate for Human Rights Watch and the report's co-author, said it makes the U.S. one of the strictest in denying rights for justice-impacted citizens. He explained what other countries are doing to ensure voting rights are eventually restored.

"There are countries that have time-bound restrictions, so they may remove the right to vote during incarceration," Walk pointed out. "Immediately upon release, those rights are restored."

He noted other countries impose temporary voting restrictions, removing the right to vote for a few years before restoring it. Only five countries have permanent disenfranchisement. Overall the U.S. bans more than 4.4 million citizens from voting due to felony convictions.

The report also highlighted felony disenfranchisement laws as major obstacles to justice for communities of color. In North Carolina about 83,000 people are disenfranchised. Walk argued it is important for democracy people regain the right so they can have a say in issues affecting them.

"Having more people who have been impacted by a criminal legal system and just more people who fully represent the community have the right to vote, that decides outcomes and that allows us to elect candidates who will uphold our rights," Walk contended.

To overcome some of the current barriers, the report recommended measures such as changing laws to make voting more accessible and creating polling centers in correctional facilities to improve access. The report also urged the U.S. to abolish "pay to vote" practices, which require payment of court fees and fines before voting rights can be restored.


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