On April 17, the Iowa Senate passed HF 692, which makes ballot access for independent candidates, and the nominees of unqualified parties, more difficult.

It increases statewide petitions from 1,500 signatures to 4,000 signatures, and adds an unconstitutional county distribution requirement of 200 signatures from each of ten counties.

It increases U.S. House petitions from 375 signatures to 2,000, and says there must be 77 signatures from each of half the counties in the district. No other state has ever had a county distribution requirement for U.S. House petitions, and that would be unconstitutional as well.

It increases the petition for State Senate petitions from 100 signatures to 200, and increases State House petitions from 50 to 100.

It moves the petition deadline for non-presidential petitions from mid-August to early June. It says that the names of parties can be abbreviated on the ballot, as long as the instructions part of the ballot explains the abbreviations. It makes it easier to invalidate signatures.

The bill passed 31-18. One Republican Senator, Dennis Guth, did not vote; otherwise all the Republicans voted “yes” and all the Democrats voted “no.” Senator Brad Zaun, a Republican, had promised to vote “no” but he did vote “yes”, which means the Republican leadership in the Senate probably put a great deal of pressure on every Republican to support the bill. The bill now goes to the House. When it had passed the House the first time, it did not have the ballot access amendments in the bill. The bill is an omnibus election law bill. Thanks to Nathan Hetzel for this news.