Guest post: Iowa children are counting on us to vote

Iowa’s families are counting on us. On November 5th, let’s vote for representation we can be proud of.

When we brought our daughter home from the hospital a few months ago, and I watched our baby swaddled in her bassinet, sleeping peacefully, I couldn’t help but think about the future my wife and I are building for her.

Now, with the November 5th election a few days away, I wonder: What kind of place will Iowa be for families today and for generations to come? When my daughter grows up, will she find an Iowa that is as inclusive, welcoming, and safe as the one I inherited—or will she find an Iowa neither of us recognize, a place where people feel they have little in common with their government, and whose voices are not heard?

Iowans want to provide for our children and build a good life; we want the chance not just to get by, but to get ahead. But Republican politicians in Des Moines have refused to work with Democrats to lower costs for our families. They’ve balked at fully funding our public schools. They’d rather fill up our jails and prisons than legalize marijuana. In 2023, they called a special session for the sole purpose of passing a near-total abortion ban. This isn’t what Iowans voted for.

If this wasn’t enough, the Republicans in the legislature passed a school voucher scheme that takes hundreds of millions of your tax dollars from public schools and gives them to wealthy parents who can already afford to send their kids to private schools. The scheme was sold as a way to increase access to private schools in Iowa, except private schools around the state almost immediately increased their tuition to match the amount of the taxpayer-funded subsidy. What a deal!

If you’re feeling left out, you’re not alone. Iowans were sold a bill of goods by Governor Kim Reynolds and the Republicans in the legislature.

This election is about freedom. Iowa’s Republican abortion ban turns back half a century of fundamental rights for women to control their own bodies. I can’t believe my daughter will grow up with less freedom in our state than her grandmother had.

For my wife and me, starting a family was a deeply personal decision, filled with joy and a sense of responsibility. But I hate to think about what could have happened if there had been complications. Already, we’re seeing heartbreaking stories from other states with similar abortion bans, with devastating consequences for women and their families—even those who desperately want to carry a pregnancy to term. This isn’t what Iowans voted for.

When I look at my daughter, I think of the future she’ll inherit from us. I am filled with optimism because I know that, though it may feel daunting, we cannot grow weary. Iowa’s families are counting on us.

On November 5th, let’s vote for representation we can be proud of—an Iowa where families will want to put down roots, raise children, and call home for generations to come.

Sami Scheetz is an Iowa State Representative in Cedar Rapids and a union organizer for Teamsters Local 238. He can be reached at [email protected].