Posted on 10/29/2020 11:48:26 AM PDT by SJackson
With less than a week before the election, Iowans are losing places to cast ballots.
Voters in Iowa are facing shuttered polling locations less than a week away from Election Day, largely due to the various outbreaks of COVID-19 that have gripped the state.
Iowa is one of the several Midwest states experiencing record upticks in new coronavirus infections, with 1,133 Iowans testing positive for the virus yesterday. Two days prior, Iowa set a record for the number of new cases, reporting 2,691 on Oct. 26. In total, more than 121,000 people in Iowa tested positive for the coronavirus.
The current state testing positivity rate sits at 12.8 percent, well above the 10 percent rate recommendation to begin reopening economic and public sectors.
Reporting by NPR, the Iowa Public Radio News and the Center for Public Integrity finds that hundreds of polling centers have closed due to COVID-19, leaving voters with fewer local options.
"All of us, we are going to have to look up where we need to go. I mean, I'm not sure which place I would go," Sheena Thomas, a voter in Des Moines, told reporters. "That's going to be an issue for everybody."
Thomas ultimately decided to vote absentee, but mass shutdowns and consolidations in locations can lead to confusions as to where to go, as well as longer lines to cast ballots.
These closures also come during a contentious presidential election and many local elections, leading officials to fear that a lack of polling centers may skew the election outcome. NPR further notes that since 2016, Iowa has lost 261 polling places, which affect roughly 30 percent of the state’s voters, many of whom reside in urban areas.
The same analysis also revealed that communities with larger proportions of people of color have also experienced higher rates of polling place shutdowns, leading to more fears of voter suppression.
"I'm certain that it's going to make it harder for people to vote. But I am seeing a resolve right now, where people are determined," Vikki Brown, the chair of the Black Hawk County Democrats, told reporters. "Whatever you do, we're going to counteract it."
Black Hawk County is one of the most diverse areas in Iowa and has seen larger portions of polling place closures.
Some of the main reasons for closures during this election stem from concerns over hosting polling places during the pandemic, as well as shortage of volunteer poll workers willing to come into contact with hundreds of people.
As a solution, polling places may be consolidated during the primaries in multiple states, such as in Atlanta and Milwaukee.
“On Election Day, we can anticipate to see long lines in areas where there have been mass closures," Leigh Chapman, the director of the voting rights program at the Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights, said regarding the 2020 Election Day.
While hundreds of thousands of Iowans appear to intend to vote absentee, like Thomas, polling station closures have proven to slow voter turnout. |
This is how I assumed the democrats would steal the election, by shuttering polling places. I assume the courts will step in because courts believe everybody has the right to vote, and will stop this obvious act of voter suppression.
I live in NE Iowa.
this is the first I have heard of this.
If we can get out there every day for our beer and chips, etc., there is zero excuse for not getting out there to vote! Unless you are a Democrat
Time for the Governor (Republican) to immediatedly reverse and seek sue for court intervention if needed (that is, if the Democrat Att General drags his feet).
Why aren’t the republicans filing lawsuits claiming voter suppression. Why even any good liberal judge would have to order the polling places to re-open.
Polling places in Iowa are closing due to COVID-19, which could affect close races
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Sorry, but this should be flat out illegal to do. It’s such a transparent attempt to suppress votes.
Surprise, surprise. Using COVID as an excuse to close down polling places and suppress the vote was always in the cards. They can’t be permitted to do this.
Get the democrats to vote early or by mail and the shut down polling places nationwide due to “Covid” so republicans who vote in person can’t vote. You have to hand it to them. The dems know how to win.
If i’m Trump, I make one last stop in Iowa and make a huge stink about it and really anger the Republicans.
If i’m Trump, I make one last stop in Iowa and make a huge stink about it and really anger the Republicans.
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We need more than that. This has to violate Federal Election Law. There’s no way this can be legal.
Is this true? They should close down every grocery store. Not much different than using an ATM or buying something in a market.
Yeah - the article is really weird, like a blender of unrelated issues...
It is true that here in IA there has been a need to consolidate (limited) polling locations, primarily due to the number of poll watchers signing up. Maybe there are some COVID related issues but my polling place is still the same church as before.
I wouldn’t trust anything Iowa NPR puts out. Seems like a play to scream voter suppression against the dims because they have to wait in a 15 minute line instead of a 10 minute line...
Available absentee, early voting, and day of - this report is is just crap...
Grocery stores, OK. Just don’t close down the casinos. Or peaceful riots.
My guess the excuse would be protecting the poll workers.
Yep. I said the same thing. I knew the only reason “cases” are surging is the desperate & wicked libs wanted to shut down polling places.
And after Trump wipes the floor with Traitor Joe; they will unleash even more intense violence.
This is what Covid has been for all along. It’s the universal excuse for the ‘Rats to get whatever they want. And they want GOP votes canceled, blocked, nullified, scared away, etc, etc, etc.
If there is an early voting at the polling place go ahead and get your vote in the machine. I voted this morning on the computer screen and watched my ballot go into the count box.
You bet we will be there. Even us old coots. My spouse may have to take something to lean on if the line is long, but we will vote no matter how long it takes.
Yeah, they increased the testing, so now they have a lot more cases. Duh!
Are stores still open?
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