Johnson County District Court judge rules in favor of Trump campaign, invalidating thousands of ballot-request forms
Lauren White, Politics Reporter
September 14, 2020
A judge in the Johnson County District Court ruled Monday in favor of a lawsuit filed by the Trump campaign, invalidating thousands of ballot-request forms mailed to voters with pre-filled information. Johnson County Auditor Travis Weipert must contact every person who mailed in a ballot-requ...
State and counties ramp up poll worker recruitment ahead of general election
Caleb McCullough, Politics Editor
September 1, 2020
Iowa election officials are recruiting poll workers ahead of the Nov. 3 general election to prevent a possible shortage, as many usual workers are sitting out because of the coronavirus pandemic. In Linn County, which has been recruiting poll workers since January, there are around 400 people confi...
Iowa City City Council to move forward with creating Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Rachel Schilke and Riley Davis
July 21, 2020
The Iowa City City Council took the next steps in creating a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to address racial injustice in the city, discussing the details of the board they committed to creating in a resolution in June after weeks of protests and demands from the Iowa Freedom Riders, the g...
Iowa leads the nation in overall high-school graduation rates, lags behind in minority graduation rates
Katie Ann McCarver, News Editor
May 29, 2020
PolitiFact Iowa is a project of The Daily Iowan’s Ethics & Politics Initiative and PolitiFact to help you find the truth in politics. Edited by Lyle Muller and Sarah Watson If your time is short: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says Iowa has the highest high-school graduation rate in t...
Johnson County Board of Supervisors to discuss recommended minimum wage increase to $10.63
Riley Davis, News Reporter
April 28, 2020
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors will discuss raising the county’s recommended minimum wage to $10.63 at their 9 a.m. Wednesday meeting this week. If passed, its decision would fall in line with the phased increases that were established by vote in 2015, as previously reported by The D...
Campaigns continue virtually through the COVID-19 pandemic
Rylee Wilson, Politics Reporter
April 1, 2020
Christina Bohannan was in the midst of knocking doors for her campaign for Iowa’s 85th House District when schools and businesses began to close in response to the COVID-19 outbreak around March 17. “I had my list and I was going up and down knocking doors on different streets,” Bohannan...
Johnson County was the sole Iowa county Elizabeth Warren won. Her supporters there react to her dropped 2020 bid.
Julia Shanahan, Politics Editor
March 5, 2020
University of Iowa fifth-year student Cesar Perez described the end of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign as heartbreaking and infuriating, saying she was the Democratic candidate with the most detailed policies. “Literally what people have to understand is people picke...
Johnson County sheriff launches bid for Iowa House District 73 seat
Rin Swann, News Reporter
February 27, 2020
After 35 years in law enforcement, Johnson County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek announced Thursday he will run for the Iowa House District 73 seat, which encompasses all of Cedar County and eastern Johnson County. The chair is currently held by Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, the son of Jeff Kaufmann, Iowa...
New Iowa Democratic Party chair has eyes set on November
Caleb McCullough, Politics Reporter
February 17, 2020
Newly elected Iowa Democratic Party Chair Mark Smith said his top priority is electing Democrats up and down the ticket in November, assuming his role in a hotbed of controversy with a caucus process that is still under investigation. “Our goal is to defeat [Iowa’s Republican Sen.] Joni Ernst...
By the numbers: The figures that defined the Iowa caucuses
Rylee Wilson, Politics Reporter
February 12, 2020
Before absent results from the Iowa caucuses caught national attention, candidates traveled across the state, racked up hundreds of campaign stops, and shoveled millions of dollars into local advertising. The Daily Iowan looked back at the numbers that defined the race for candidates in the lead up...
Iowa Democratic Party allocates the most national delegates to Pete Buttigieg despite uncertainty in the results
Julia Shanahan, Politics Editor
February 9, 2020
After updating data from 55 precincts across the state, the Iowa Democratic Party released results on Sunday showing former South Bend, Indiana Pete Buttigieg leading the delegate count a week after caucus night. Buttigieg was allocated 14 national delegates, followed by Bernie Sanders with 12, El...
First-time caucusgoers wade into murky waters of Iowa politics
Charles Peckman, Senior Reporter
February 4, 2020
As the nation trained its eyes on the Hawkeye State Monday night for the Iowa caucuses, many University of Iowa students were exposed to the oft raucous nature of the first-in-the-nation caucuses for the first time. As colleges and universities throughout the state rallied behind their candidates ...