Majorities of Iowans oppose changing Iowa’s law to allow presidential candidates convicted of felonies to appear on the ballot or to ban the use of drop boxes to return absentee ballots.
A narrow majority also oppose efforts to restrict challenges to whether presidential candidates can appear on the Iowa ballot, like the kinds of efforts states around the country have attempted to disqualify former President Donald Trump from running for president again.
But a majority of Iowans favor requiring mail-in ballots to be received by the county auditor by the close of business the day before Election Day, one day earlier than current law.
The results from the new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll come as lawmakers consider a wide-ranging election bill that would make all four changes to state law.
More:Iowa House passes new voting restrictions. How they would affect you:
The bill, House File 2610, passed the Republican-controlled Iowa House on March 5 on a party-line vote. Similar legislation has passed out of a committee in the Iowa Senate and could soon be debated by the full chamber.
The legislation would allow candidates with felony convictions to run for federal office in Iowa, ban the use of ballot drop boxes, set an earlier deadline for returning mail-in absentee ballots and make it harder to challenge presidential candidates’ place on Iowa’s ballot.
The poll of 804 Iowa adults was conducted Feb. 25-28 by Selzer & Co. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Of the four election-related policy changes tested in the poll, allowing presidential candidates convicted of felonies to run for office receives the largest opposition.
The poll found nearly three-fourths of Iowans (74%) oppose efforts to “change Iowa law to allow convicted felons to appear on the ballot for president,” while one fourth (25%) are in favor.
Another 2% are not sure.
A majority of Iowans also oppose efforts to “restrict challenges to the names of presidential candidates on election ballots, like those Donald Trump has faced in other states.”
Just over one-third (36%) favor restricting such challenges against candidates, while 51% are opposed and 13% are not sure.
Fifty-six percent of Iowans oppose banning the use of ballot drop boxes for Iowans returning absentee ballots, while 41% favor a ban, and 3% are not sure.
Hanlon said she thinks drop boxes are a convenient way to return ballots and said the mail system is too uncertain.
“You can’t count on the mail,” she said. “I might mail something today here from Anamosa, and you might get it in Des Moines a week later, so that’s not reliable anymore.”
A narrow majority also oppose efforts to restrict challenges to whether presidential candidates can appear on the Iowa ballot, like the kinds of efforts states around the country have attempted to disqualify former President Donald Trump from running for president again.
But a majority of Iowans favor requiring mail-in ballots to be received by the county auditor by the close of business the day before Election Day, one day earlier than current law.
The results from the new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll come as lawmakers consider a wide-ranging election bill that would make all four changes to state law.
More:Iowa House passes new voting restrictions. How they would affect you:
The bill, House File 2610, passed the Republican-controlled Iowa House on March 5 on a party-line vote. Similar legislation has passed out of a committee in the Iowa Senate and could soon be debated by the full chamber.
The legislation would allow candidates with felony convictions to run for federal office in Iowa, ban the use of ballot drop boxes, set an earlier deadline for returning mail-in absentee ballots and make it harder to challenge presidential candidates’ place on Iowa’s ballot.
The poll of 804 Iowa adults was conducted Feb. 25-28 by Selzer & Co. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Of the four election-related policy changes tested in the poll, allowing presidential candidates convicted of felonies to run for office receives the largest opposition.
The poll found nearly three-fourths of Iowans (74%) oppose efforts to “change Iowa law to allow convicted felons to appear on the ballot for president,” while one fourth (25%) are in favor.
Another 2% are not sure.
A majority of Iowans also oppose efforts to “restrict challenges to the names of presidential candidates on election ballots, like those Donald Trump has faced in other states.”
Just over one-third (36%) favor restricting such challenges against candidates, while 51% are opposed and 13% are not sure.
Fifty-six percent of Iowans oppose banning the use of ballot drop boxes for Iowans returning absentee ballots, while 41% favor a ban, and 3% are not sure.
Hanlon said she thinks drop boxes are a convenient way to return ballots and said the mail system is too uncertain.
“You can’t count on the mail,” she said. “I might mail something today here from Anamosa, and you might get it in Des Moines a week later, so that’s not reliable anymore.”
