Iowa

Congressional and Legislative

Congressional and legislative maps are enacted by the State General Assembly. The Governor can veto the plans.

The General Assembly can override a veto with a two-thirds vote. No party currently has a veto-proof majority in either chamber.

Maps are proposed to the General Assembly by the Legislative Services Agency. A five-member advisory commission, the Temporary Redistricting Advisory Commission does not draw maps but instead conducts hearings on maps created by the Legislative Services Agency. The four party leaders in the Iowa General Assembly each appoint one member. A fifth member is chosen by the four original members. Commissioners must be eligible electors in the state (a person who possesses all of the qualifications necessary to entitle the person to be registered to vote, whether or not the person is in fact so registered), and may not hold partisan public office or political party office, be related to or employed by a member of the Iowa General Assembly or the U.S. Congress, or be employed by the General Assembly or the U.S. Congress.

When a redistricting bill reaches the Iowa General Assembly, the Commission holds no less than three public hearings in different regions of the state. Based on the hearings, the Commission provides a summation of the material and testimonies to the Secretary of State and Chief Clerk of the Iowa House within 14 days of the arrival of the bill in the Iowa General Assembly.

Challenges to the maps are litigated in the State Supreme Court.

Source: Iowa Const. art. III, §§ 34-36. Iowa Code §§ 42.1-42.7 (2019).

Previous Redistricting Cycles

2020

• Congressional
  • Original Plan – SF 621 (Legislative Services Agency’s 2nd Proposed Plan)
    • Passed = October 28, 2021 (R-controlled)
    • Signed = November 4, 2021
  • Litigation History
    • None
• Legislative
  • Original Plan – SF 621 (Adopting Legislative Services Agency’s 2nd Proposed Plan)
    • Passed = October 28, 2021 (R-controlled)
    • Signed = November 4, 2021
  • Litigation History
    • In the Matter of Reapportionment of State Sen. and Rep. Districts, No. 21-1281 (Iowa Sept. 14, 2021): Article III, § 35 of the Iowa Constitution provides that the Iowa General Assembly, with aid from the Legislative Services Agency (LSA), must complete the legislative redistricting process by September 1 of the reapportionment year and that if a legislative redistricting plan is not enacted by September 15, the Iowa Supreme Court must cause the state to be reapportioned prior to December 31 of that year. The LSA indicated that it would not be able to meet this deadline as a result of the delayed release of 2020 Census population data, and therefore, on September 14, 2021, the Iowa Supreme Court issued an order permitting the redistricting authorities to prepare a redistricting plan by December 1.

2010

• Congressional
  • Original Plan – HF 682 (Adopting Legislative Services Agency’s 1st Proposed Plan)
    • Passed = April 18, 2011 (Split-control)
    • Signed = April 19, 2011
  • Litigation History
    • None
• Legislative
  • Original Plan – HF 682 (Adopting Legislative Services Agency’s 1st Proposed Plan)
    • Passed = April 18, 2011 (Split-control)
    • Signed = April 19, 2011
  • Litigation History
    • None

2000

• Congressional
  • Original Plan – HF 758 (Adopting Legislative Services Agency’s 2nd Proposed Plan)
    • Passed = June 19, 2001 (R-controlled)
    • Signed = June 22, 2001
  • Litigation History
    • None
• Legislative
  • Original Plan – HF 758 (Adopting Legislative Services Agency’s 2nd Proposed Plan)
    • Passed = June 19, 2001 (R-controlled)
    • Signed = June 22, 2001
  • Litigation History
    • None

Governor Bill Signing

If a bill is presented to the governor during session, the governor has 3 days to sign or veto it; otherwise, it becomes law without signature. If the bill is delivered to the governor during the last 3 days of the session, the governor must sign or veto it within 30 days of session adjournment; otherwise, it is pocket vetoed. Sundays are excluded in these calculations. Line-item vetoes are permitted.

Ballot Measure Process

Kinds of Ballot Measures
Only the Iowa General Assembly may refer amendments to the ballot. There is no initiative or referendum process.

Source: Iowa Const. art. X.

In The News

• Iowa Legislature Approves Redistricting Proposal, The Hill (10/28/21)
• Iowa Senate Republicans Reject First Proposed Redistricting Maps; Wait Goes on for Political Boundaries, Des Moines Register (10/5/21)
• Here are the First Round of Congressional and Legislative Maps Proposed Under Redistricting in Iowa, Des Moines Register (9/16/21)
• Iowa Governor Calls Special Legislative Session to Draw New Political Maps, Iowa Public Radio (9/14/21)
• Iowa Supreme Court Sets New Deadline for Approval of Redistricting Plan, Radio Iowa (9/14/21)
• Iowa Official Says Expect First Redistricting Maps Sept. 16, AP (8/17/21)
• Davenport Lawyer Replaces DeJear on Redistricting Commission, AP (7/6/21)
• Legislative Redistricting on Hold Until Iowa Gets ‘Granular’ Census Data, The Gazette (4/30/21)
• Iowa Supreme Court Says it’s Ready to Handle Redistricting, AP (4/8/21)
• Redistricting Commission Considers Three Options for Chairperson, Iowa Capital Dispatch (3/1/21)
• Iowa's Bipartisan Redistricting Commission Begins to Take Shape Despite Census Delays, Des Moines Register (2/15/21)
• Democrats Uneasy Over Redrawing Iowa Election Districts, The Gazette (1/4/21)
• Delay in Releasing Census Data may Force Special Session of Iowa Legislature, The Gazette (12/23/20)
• Coronavirus Likely to Delay Iowa Legislative Redistricting, Gazette Des Moines Bureau (6/8/20)