Maybe Iowa needs some more democracy.
Yes, we did just have a free and fair election. Voters’ voices were heard. Despite a few hiccups here and there, the election went pretty smoothly.
But as you looked across the nation on election night, it was hard not to be a little jealous.
In very red Nebraska, 58.5 percent of voters supported a ballot measure that will gradually raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 per hour in 2026, and then increase the wage automatically based on the cost of living.
In very red Missouri, 53 percent of voters approved a ballot measure legalizing the purchase, possession, consumption, use, delivery, manufacture and sale of marijuana for adults over 21. Also, some marijuana offenders will be released from incarceration, parole or probation.
In Michigan, 56.7 percent of voters approved a ballot measure establishing a right to reproductive freedom in that state.
The difference between Iowa and these states is they have a process by which voters can petition for law changes or constitutional amendments and force a public vote. When the legislature and the powers that be refuse to act on laws people want, initiative and referendum allows the people to go around them. Iowa has no such process giving power to the people.
Consequently, although polls show a majority of Iowans want legal marijuana, or at least its decriminalization, Republicans who control the Legislature and Gov. Kim Reynolds refuse to even discuss those ideas. Our state still is stuck...
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