Iowans say Thursday’s presidential debate was more productive
Caleb McCullough, Politics Editor
October 22, 2020
Donald Trump and Joe Biden offered contrasting visions for America’s future Thursday night, in an exchange that was far more restrained than the pair’s first debate in September. With less than two weeks until Election Day, the presidential race in Iowa has tightened to a tossup. Biden holds a ...
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...
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...
Iowa political leaders question the productivity of the first presidential debate
Julia Shanahan, Politics Editor
September 30, 2020
President Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden participated in the first presidential debate Tuesday night, and some Iowa political leaders say the fiery exchange was unproductive and likely won’t change the minds of many voters. The debate, moderated by Fox News anchor Chris Wal...
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...