Voting In State
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Iowa campaign board receives multiple threats related to city, school elections
Staff members for the nonpartisan Iowa board that oversees the integrity of political campaigns received numerous threats related to the city and school elections that took place earlier this month. During Thursday’s Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board meeting, executive director and legal counsel Zach Goodrich noted the uptick in anger at him and staff…
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Here’s who is running, so far, for Congress in Iowa in 2024
Iowa’s 2024 congressional races are starting to take shape as all four Republican officeholders have at least one Democratic challenger and, in one instance, a primary challenger. So who’s running for what office and where? Here’s a simple overview of Iowa’s four congressional districts, the incumbents who represent those districts, and the candidates who want…
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Iowans welcome news of Moms for Liberty school board defeats
Candidates backed by Moms for Liberty, an organization that has supported private school vouchers, anti-LGBTQ legislation, and book bans in Iowa, lost in school board races across the state Tuesday. Since its inception, Moms for Liberty has helped fuel national right-wing culture war attacks on public schools, teachers, and students in Iowa and elsewhere. The…
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Cedar Rapids $220M school bond fails, 3 school board members hold on
Though the largest school bond in state history failed, three out of four sitting Cedar Rapids school board members kept their seats, with only the District 4 seat changing hands. Seven board members serve staggered four-year terms. Four of those (two at-large as well as the District 1 and District 4 seats) were open this…
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In Waukee, progressive candidates win the day
Two incumbents and a progressive candidate endorsed by both the teachers’ union and One Iowa were voted onto the Waukee school board Tuesday. Three school board seats were open this year. Current board president Wendy Marsh took the most votes, with an even (unofficial) 5,600, or 23.4%. Incumbent board member Michael Trettin garnered the next-highest…
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Progressives sweep in Urbandale School Board race
Progressives endorsed by the teachers union swept the Urbandale school board race, though the lone incumbent just squeaked back into her seat. Six candidates were running for four open seats, all at-large. Katherine Howsare, who has been on the school board for eight years—or two four-year terms—was the only incumbent school board member running. She…
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Nearly $150,000 spent so far in Ankeny, Johnston school board races
As Iowa school board elections have become more political, the costs associated with running for a volunteer position that decides everything from budgets to bus routes have also increased. Campaign disclosure reports for city and school board candidates, city and school political action committees, and local ballot issue committees were due by 4:30 p.m. Thursday,…
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Dallas Center-Grimes parents worry about school board candidate’s right-wing ties
When Sean Cully launched a Facebook page for his Dallas Center-Grimes (DCG) School Board campaign, his intro stated that he wanted to “protect students, parents and educators from wokeism!” Shortly afterward, Cully scrapped that language. In the new intro, Cully said he wanted “To champion students with my 20+ years of experience in leading and…
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If you want to retain Iowa teachers, vote in school board elections
Want to stop the mass exodus of quality teachers from leaving Iowa? Want to make sure they’re not only paid fairly, but feel like their district has their back? Turns out, your vote on Nov. 7 could mean the difference between a school board that cares about teachers and a board that just wants to…
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How safe and fair are our elections in Iowa? Extremely, both Republicans and Democrats agree
It’s not often you see Democrats and Republicans agreeing these days. In Iowa, however, “Iowa has free and fair elections” is one thing auditors of both parties can agree upon. That includes Grant Veeder, the Democratic county auditor of one of Iowa’s last remaining Democratic strongholds of Black Hawk County, and Ryan Dokter, the Republican…
