Statement: Voter Participation Center/Center for Voter Information Respond to Iowa Legislature Passing Anti-Voting Bill

Washington, DC, February 25, 2021 — Following the Iowa legislature passing anti-voting legislation on Wednesday, Tom Lopach, President and CEO of the Voter Participation Center(VPC) and Center for Voter Information (CVI), released the following statement. This bill shortens the early voting period, reduces Election Day voting hours and makes voting absentee more difficult for Iowans. Since 2003, VPC and CVI have provided 5.7 million Americans with the tools and information they need to register and get to the polls.

“We are dismayed by the partisan efforts of some lawmakers in Iowa to add additional restrictions to voting in the Hawkeye State. Following increased turnout and voter participation during the 2020 cycle, we should be taking steps to empower even more people to participate in democracy. This bill is a step in the wrong direction and will impact voters and policy for years to come.

“This is just one of more than 250 bills in state legislatures across the country working to make voting more difficult. While we urge state lawmakers, including in Iowa, to reassess their commitment to fair and free elections, this is another example of why Congress must pass H.R. 1, which will codify the simple solutions that contributed to higher turnout in 2020. Elections should be a battle of ideas, not a contest based on who was prevented from casting a ballot.”

The Voter Participation Center and Center for Voter Information are non-profit, non-partisan organizations founded in 2003 to help members of the New American Majority – unmarried women, people of color and young people – register and vote. Since then, the organizations have helped 5.7 million people register and cast ballots.