Iowa governor signs bill to shorten early voting, close polls earlier
By Justine Coleman - 03/08/21 06:32 PM EST Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed a Republican-championed bill on Monday that shortens the state's early voting period and closes the polls earlier on Election Day.
The Iowa governor announced she had placed her signature on Senate File 413 along with a number of other bills, months after Iowa reported a record number of voters in the 2020 election.
Under the law, Iowa’s early voting period is reduced from 29 days to 20 days, and polls are scheduled to close at 8 p.m. for state and federal elections rather than 9 p.m. Any absentee ballots are required to arrive before the polls close, rather than the previous requirement of being in the mail the day before Election Day and arriving before noon the following Monday.
The newly signed law also forbids auditors and election officials from not enforcing state election laws or going against Iowa’s secretary of state guidelines, saying they could potentially face fines of up to $10,000.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/542216-iowa-governor-signs-bill-to-shorten-early-voting-close-polls-earlier
