Rob Sand proposes term limits, election overhaul as part of accountability plan

Iowa’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate wants to overhaul how Iowans vote, who can run, and how long they can serve—and he thinks Republicans might go along with it. 

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand is calling for sweeping changes to Iowa’s political system, including term limits, age caps, and a restructured primary election process.

Sand, who serves as Iowa State Auditor and is the only Democrat running for governor, unveiled his “Accountability for All” plan at a Des Moines press conference Thursday. He framed the proposals as common-sense reforms with potential bipartisan support.

“Running for office and holding public office should be about serving the public, not serving yourself,” Sand said.

His plan calls for limiting lawmakers to serving 12 years in the state Legislature, a 3-term limit for statewide elected officials, and a 20-year overall cap on time in any state office. Sand is calling for an age limit modeled after Iowa’s mandatory judicial retirement age of 78. He also wants candidates to pass cognitive and civics tests before appearing on the ballot, and would require elected officials to place stock holdings in blind trusts, with mandatory prison time for violations.

Sand is also pushing mandatory prison sentences for anyone convicted of stealing more than $10,000 in public funds, and would ban those convicted of fraud from doing state business and strip them of taxpayer-funded benefits. He also wants to restore powers to the State Auditor’s Office that Republican legislators curtailed in 2023 after Sand took office.

On education, Sand wants annual audits of Iowa’s school voucher program. The program was created in 2023 and uses public funds to cover private school tuition costs. The program cost taxpayers more than $314 million for the 2025-2026 school year, up from $218 million the previous year. He also called out Odyssey, the company managing the program, which he said more than doubled its rate less than a month after signing a no-bid contract.

On elections, Sand wants to scrap Iowa’s partisan primary system in favor of a single nonpartisan ballot, with up to four candidates advancing to the general election through approval voting. Approval voting is a system in which  voters can vote for all the candidates they approve of. The candidate with the most votes wins.

Iowa’s primary is June 2. The general election is November 3.