The Iowa Secretary of State’s mailing of absentee ballot requests to all voters ahead of the primary election may have contributed to the election’s record turnout, but he may not get to do this same for the next election due to a bill currently in the Iowa Legislature.

A State Senate committee advanced House File 2486 which includes other changes to state election laws such as expanding voter ID requirements and preventing the Secretary of State from changing election procedures when there are federal candidates on the ballot. This comes in conflict with COVID-19 pandemic, which Guthrie County Auditor Dani Fink says created a desire for many county auditors to hold the primary election exclusively by mail-in ballots. Guthrie County’s primary voter turnout also greatly increased this year, despite not having any county contested races, and Fink speaks favorably on sending absentee ballot requests to all voters for the general election, “I feel like with the state that we were in, coming into the primary and the fact that we were able to do things the way that we were and it ended up being successful, I think it’s a good option to just try and do it that way.”

Fink says her office is preparing for the unknowns that COVID-19 will bring come November, and how the election will be conducted. Both the Iowa State Associations of County Auditors and Supervisors have opposed the bill, which is now open for debate by the full Senate.