Kamala Harris, Iowa Democrats emphasize importance of 2020 election during Liberty and Justice Celebration
Brian Grace, News Reporter
October 18, 2020
U.S. Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Iowa Democrats running for office spoke on the importance of flipping state and federal seats in what some of them called the most important election of their lifetime during the Iowa Democratic Party’s annual Liberty and Justice Celebration Sunda...
Fact check: final U.S. Senate debate between Joni Ernst and Theresa Greenfield
Caleb McCullough and Julia Shanahan
October 15, 2020
Iowa’s third and final U.S. Senate debate Thursday night was marred by technical difficulties for the first 20 minutes, as both Republican Sen. Joni Ernst and Democratic candidate Theresa Greenfield struggled to hear moderators and dealt with their microphones frequently cutting out. Once the p...
Candidates for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District participate in final debate before Election Day
Lauren White, Politics Reporter
October 15, 2020
The candidates for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District engaged in a civil hour-long debate on Thursday night, with the most contention on the topic of health care, similar to past debates. Because of the U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings this week, the future of the Affordable Care Act...
Iowa voters say they’re voting for Trump because of his ‘American standard of living’
Julia Shanahan, Politics Editor
October 15, 2020
Several thousand Iowans filled a tarmac at the Des Moines International airport Wednesday night to greet President Trump, and many said they plan to vote for Trump on Nov. 3, despite his rhetoric many consider to be racist. Many people The Daily Iowan spoke to said that while they don’t part...
Coronavirus concerns low at Trump’s Des Moines rally
Caleb McCullough, Politics Editor
October 15, 2020
The risk of coronavirus spread was not a chief concern of Trump supporters at the president’s rally in Des Moines Wednesday, which has drawn criticism from political opponents and public-health experts for lax safety precautions during the coronavirus pandemic. “We know the risks, and we exercise our right to...
A recap of Iowa’s first week of early voting
Lauren White, Politics Reporter
October 11, 2020
Johnson and other area counties are seeing an influx of early voting after the first voters of the 2020 election cast their ballots this week. In its first week of early voting, Johnson County averaged 700 in-person voters a day and counted over 14,000 ballots, including mail-in, said Johnson Count...
Familiar themes emerge in second District 2 debate
Lauren White, Politics Reporter
October 8, 2020
Democrat Rita Hart and Republican state Sen. Mariannette Miller-Meeks pointed fingers over health care and the coronavirus pandemic in a debate Thursday night. The candidates for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District accused each other of not wanting to protect Iowans’ access to health care, with M...
Sheriff vies for longtime Republican House seat
Caleb McCullough, Politics Editor
October 6, 2020
Johnson County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek’s bid to unseat four-term Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, is an uphill battle, in his own words, however the race is one of many that some Iowa Democrats hope will help them flip control of the statehouse in the 2020 elections. Republicans currently hold ...
The Electoral College explained
Julia Shanahan, Politics Editor
October 6, 2020
When voters head to the polls on Election Day or send in their absentee ballots, they will actually be voting for a slate of electors bound to their party’s ticket. The Electoral College is a complicated system established by the Constitution tasked with formally electing the president and v...
Iowa election officials hopeful for quick results on election night
Caleb McCullough, Politics Editor
October 6, 2020
While the U.S. braces for an unpredictable presidential election that may take days to call, Iowa leaders are taking steps to ensure the winner of Iowa’s six electoral votes is clear on Nov. 3. The question of whether a clear winner will emerge on election night hangs over the presidential campa...
Early voting in Iowa begins Monday: here’s how you can vote
Lauren White, Politics Reporter
October 4, 2020
Early voting begins Oct. 5 in Iowa, and the COVID-19 pandemic is pushing the boundaries of what a typical general election looks like. With Iowa’s spike in COVID-19 cases, Johnson County auditor Travis Weipert encourages voters to cast mail-in ballots if they can to limit the spread of the c...
Cómo Votar en Iowa
Cesar Perez, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Director
October 4, 2020
La pandemia de COVID-19 está cambiando las formas en como ciudadanos americanos están votando en las elecciones presidenciales del 2020. Con el aumento de casos en el estado de Iowa, el auditor del condado de Johnson, Travis Welpert, sugiere que votantes eligen votar por correo postal para limit...