DES MOINES, Iowa - Iowa's secretary of state must now get approval before mailing absentee ballot request forms to voters.
A bill signed Thursday by Governor Kim Reynolds calls for a committee of lawmakers (the Legislative Council) to approve the action.
Secretary of State Paul Pate mailed absentee request forms to all registered voters before the June 2nd primary, which resulted in a record turnout, including 80 percent of the vote from mail in ballots.
The Republican controlled legislature first considered a bill to prevent Pate from single-handedly mailing out ballot request forms, but settled on a compromise between the House and Senate to require approval from the Legislative Council.
Republicans were concerned that Pate, a fellow Republican, had stretched the bounds of his authority. President Donald Trump has been outspoken in his opposition to voting by mail
The bill signed by Governor Reynolds also prevents county election officials from decreasing the number of polling places by more than 35% during an election. Pate and some county auditors had taken that step in the primary because of the coronavirus pandemic.