Constitutional rights debated

Long hours of debate consumed a large portion of our time at the Capitol during week 9. Voter ID bill HF 516 and Gun bill HF 517 took up the majority of our debate.

HF 516 would, among other provisions, require citizens without a photo ID to show a specific voter ID card at the polls issued by the Secretary of State. It’s been a point of pride for years that the state of Iowa has a well-earned reputation for high voting process integrity. Only Vermont ranks higher on a national list of states. This reputation has been made possible by excellent county auditors and highly responsible voters who are committed to participating in the voting process. It’s one reason why Iowa continues to have the honor of hosting the first Presidential caucus every four or eight years. Democrats wonder why, then, have Republicans decided to make such a push for a new system to “assure voter integrity” at the polls. HF 516 changes requirements about what kind of identification citizens need to present to poll workers before they vote. While it might make intuitive sense that it’s natural and easy that a person needs to provide a driver’s license or other specific voter ID card (which HF 516 calls for) to vote, it is actually discriminatory. Many Iowans, on Election Day, would not be able to locate and present a separate voter ID card.

Identification to register to vote is important, and auditors make sure that citizens who want to exercise the constitutional right show proper ID at the time they register. Identification is thoroughly established at the time of registration. While most people reading this newsletter have ID’s that they could easily show at the polls, there are many thousands of Iowans who do not. These groups would include the elderly who have never or no longer drive, the disabled and lower income Iowans. Also college students, many of whom come to Iowa from out of state, are able to register to vote with their Iowa county auditor with proper documentation. But requiring a student or an elderly person or a disabled person to have a voter card issued by the Secretary of State puts a distinct barrier in the way of voting on Election Day. When people face obstacles to voting, even though those citizens have already been properly vetted, voter participation rates fall. The State of Iowa should not be putting hindrances in the way of civic participation.

Another concern is the implementation of this Voter ID program and the lack of resources allocated to educate the public and train our poll workers. If it is the desire to make this change there should be resources and time to educate the public. I voiced these concerns as well as others and asked we pause and take into consideration our auditors’ recommendations so we may work together to become number one in the nation in voter integrity.

Other states who have enacted voter ID requirements have ended up spending millions of dollars to defending constitutional lawsuits brought by voting rights groups. With the major de-appropriations that occurred recently we don’t have the funding to implement and litigate this Voter ID program. This bill is touted as Modernization of Voter Integrity. But let us not rush this modernization, as we saw with the rushed Modernization of Medicaid. We have seen what happens when legislation is not well thought out and was rushed to implementation.

The voter suppression bill (HF 516) passed the House and will be sent to the Senate chambers.

The Gun bill that was proposed and passed out of the House Chambers broadens the self-defense component of current law in chapter 704 of the Iowa Code as well as reduces the number of background checks conducted along with other changes. In conversations with Jasper County Attorney Mike Jacobsen, he voiced concerns with broadening the scope of chapter 704 of Iowa Code, as this bill does. I echo his concerns with broadening the scope and would say we currently have the right to protect ourselves with reasonable force. During the debate, Representative Wolfe submitted an amendment that would clarify chapter 704 and the rights we have; unfortunately it failed passage. As a police officer and supporter of the 2nd Amendment, I believe in responsible gun ownership and want Iowans to be safe. I submitted two amendments that would have addressed safety through training and background checks. Unfortunately, neither of these amendments passed which would have made us safer. With the passage of this bill from the House Chambers it now goes to the Senate Chambers for debate.

Watch for these bills coming up for debate next week: HF 295 concerns pre-emption of local ordinances on minimum wage, products and civil rights; and HF 518, which makes broad changes to Iowa’s workers’ compensation laws. The bill reduces employers’ liability to provide benefits to workers injured on the job, and tilts the claims procedures in favor of employers.

Contact Rep. Wes Breckenridge at
641-521-6714
or wes.breckenridge@legis.iowa.gov