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A Polk County judge has ruled the state of Iowa can require voters to show an ID at the polls but struck down other parts of the 2017 voting law as unconstitutional.
Judge Joseph Seidlin struck down a provision that prevents the state from sending special voter ID cards to many Iowans. He also rejected the part of the law allowing county auditors to reject an absentee ballot request if a voter’s signature doesn’t match other county records. But Seidlin upheld a requirement for voter verification numbers on absentee ballot requests and noted county auditors have to fill in that information if voters leave it out.
Joe Enriquez Henry is a state political director for the League of United Latin American Citizens, which challenged these laws in court. He says he’s thankful for parts of the ruling but continues to oppose ID requirements.
We still view those as a form of voter suppression and we hope that the state legislature will change the law and make it the way it was before for over 40 years.
Iowa Republican Secretary of State Paul Pate says this is a victory for election integrity. Neither side has said if it will appeal the ruling.
Parts of southwest Iowa could see some minor flooding this week.
The National Weather Service forecasts 1-3 inches of rain for southwest Iowa through tomorrow (Wed.) morning. The area is under a flash flood watch.
The rising Missouri River is expected to crest at Plattsmouth, Nebraska 3 feet above minor flood stage. That’s about 2 feet lower than yesterday’s (Monday’s) predictions for the area.
A new report says a September survey of business supply manager suggests a slump in economic growth is continuing for nine Midwest and Plains states.
The report issued Tuesday says the Mid-America Business Conditions Index fell further below growth neutral, hitting 49.1 last month compared with 49.3 in August. The figure was 52.0 in July. The index had remained above growth neutral for 32 straight months.
Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says trade disagreements and the global economic slowdown have cut regional growth to about two-thirds that of the U.S.
