Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch

Iowa Democrats looking to learn more about the candidates aiming to become the party’s U.S. Senate candidate gathered for an Iowa Farmers Union event Saturday, where Iowa Sen. Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, and Democrat Nathan Sage gave their pitches for why they could be the best choice to unite voters in the upcoming election.

Both Democrats are running as contenders to become the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in 2026, who will compete against the Republican candidate in the upcoming midterms. Speaking before at the potluck hosted by Iowa Farmers Union, a progressive organization focused on Iowa agriculture, the two candidates spoke about issues from air and water quality, food security, and Medicaid cuts.

The U.S. Senate race in Iowa has been in the spotlight, in part, because of criticisms of incumbent U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst. The Iowa Republican’s response, “Well, we all are going to die,” at a May town hall to a person saying Medicaid cuts will cause people to die gained national attention. She has also received some flak from the right over her criticisms of U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth during the nomination process, despite her ultimately voting to confirm him....

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said Friday 277 of the 2,176 individuals identified by his office to have their ballots challenged in the 2024 general election — or not quite 13% — have been confirmed to be noncitizens.

In a news release Friday, Pate said his office gained access to the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database and was able to confirm the citizenship status of the individuals listed by the office as “potential noncitizens.”

Pate had directed county auditors to challenge these voters’ ballots ahead of the Nov. 5, 2024 election because they had reported their noncitizen status to the Iowa Department of Transportation within the past 12 years and later registered to vote. Immigrant advocates pointed out that most of those voters had gained citizenship in the intervening years and complained they were going to be unfairly subjected to additional scrutiny in order to exercise their right to vote. ...

Iowa local governments would not be able to have citizen police review boards under legislation passed by the Iowa Senate 37-9 Monday.

Senate File 311 prohibits cities with a civil service commission — any city with a population over 8,000 — from adopting or establishing citizens’ boards that review the conduct of law enforcement officers. Currently, five cities in Iowa have citizens’ police review boards: Cedar Rapids, Coralville, Dubuque, Iowa City and University Heights. The legislation was amended to have an enactment day of Aug. 16, 2025, if signed into law, which lawmakers said would give localities more time to comply with the measure.

Sen. Scott Webster, R-Bettendorf, said cities already have bodies in charge of reviewing police actions through civil service commissions. These panels are in charge of hiring, disciplining, and firing city employees including police officers. Webster said when there are issues where a police officer’s actions are under question, there is duplication happening with citizens’ boards, as the larger civil service commission will also be reviewing the case. He also said in many situations, police officers cannot legally present their argument to this board....

The Iowa House and Senate, working simultaneously Thursday, passed a bill removing gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act. It is the first bill of the 2025 legislative session to reach Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk.

The Senate voted 33-15 and the House 60-36 in favor of Senate File 418, a bill that would amend parts of Iowa Code providing protections against discrimination in areas like employment, housing, public accommodations and education, to no longer include “gender identity” from these civil rights sections.

The bill would also change language defining “sex” and “gender” in Iowa law and would remove the ability for a transgender person to change the sex designated on their birth certificate after receiving gender-affirming surgery or other related treatment from a licensed medical provider....

by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch

February 25, 2025

Iowans weighed in for the second day of public input on a bill to remove gender identity as a protected class from the Iowa Civil Rights Act. ...