On Feb. 15, Iowa public schools were required to start offering full-time, in-person instruction for all grades. Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed the bill enacting the mandate on Jan. 29. The bill, which passed the state House and Senate with the support of all Republicans and one Democrat, allows parents to request a hybrid or…
New Jersey became the first state to implement a statewide mask order in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on April 10, 2020. Seven other states implemented mask orders later in April 2020 and, in total, 39 states have issued statewide mask requirements at some point during the pandemic. In recent weeks, states have begun…
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) issued an order easing coronavirus restrictions, effective Feb. 7. The order lifted the statewide mask mandate and limits on indoor and outdoor gatherings. Reynolds first issued the face-covering requirement on Nov. 17, requiring everyone two years or older to wear masks in indoor spaces open to the public where social…
Voters in Iowa will decide in 2022 whether to add a right to own and bear firearms to the Iowa Constitution and require strict scrutiny for any alleged violations of the right brought before a court. The amendment was certified for the ballot on January 28, 2021, after having passed both chambers of the legislature.…
A special general election was held for Iowa State Senate District 41 on January 26, 2021. Adrian Dickey (R) won the special election with 55.3% of the vote and defeated Mary Stewart (D). The special election was called after Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) resigned effective January 2 to be seated in the U.S. House of Representatives.…
Election officials have scheduled a special election for the District 41 seat in the Iowa State Senate for Jan. 26, 2021. The seat became vacant when Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) resigned effective Jan. 2 after being seated in the U.S. House of Representatives. There is no primary, and the Democratic and Republican parties will select their nominees at…
The state of Iowa certified results in the election for its 2nd Congressional District, which indicate Republicans are primed to pick up their second open seat previously held by a Democrat in the 2020 U.S. House elections. Certified results showed Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) beating Rita Hart (D) by six votes. Hart indicated she would challenge…
Ashley Hinson (R) defeated incumbent Abby Finkenauer (D) in the general election for Iowa’s 1st Congressional District. Finkenauer was first elected in 2018, defeating then-incumbent Rep. Rod Blum (R) 51% to 46%. Heading into the election, Hinson had served in the Iowa House of Representatives since 2016. She was endorsed by President Donald Trump (R)…
Incumbent Joni Ernst (R) defeated Theresa Greenfield (D), Rick Stewart (L), and Suzanne Herzog (I) in the election for U.S. Senate in Iowa. Ernst was first elected in 2014. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spent $28 million on the race. The National Republican Senatorial Committee spent $20 million. Thirty-five of 100 Senate seats are up…
According to a projection from The New York Times, 80 million people will vote by mail in 2020, that number is more than twice the amount of people who did so in 2016. Given that absentee ballots take longer to process and count than in-person ballots, some voters wonder whether election night results reflect both sources…