A diverse coalition of Iowans are encouraging voter participation today, and calling for every vote cast in this year’s election to be counted so that the voice of every Iowan and American is heard.
The following statement can be attributed to AFSCME Council 61, Interfaith Alliance of Iowa Action Fund, Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, Iowa State Education Association, One Iowa Action, Iowa Citizen Action Network and Progress Iowa:
“For democracy to work for all of us, every voter must have our voice heard and our vote counted. Iowans and Americans have turned out, and will continue to turn out today, in record numbers, in order to vote for a more fair, equal, and just country. Voters have done this even during a pandemic that has claimed more than 200,000 lives and despite deliberate barriers including long lines, anti-voter lawsuits, and even attempts to eliminate drop off locations. These barriers are a desperate move by the president and his supporters who know they are losing the election. Despite these attacks on our democracy, we know that Iowa’s election officials at the local, county, and state level of both parties will take the time that their job demands to count every vote, verify the results, and get it right, even if it takes longer than tonight as is expected. No candidate gets to decide when the election is over. It’s the will of the voters that decides. To put it simply, in our democracy, we pick our leaders – our leaders do not pick their voters. We encourage every Iowan who hasn’t already, to cast their ballot today. Ultimately, we must take the time to count every vote and swear in the government chosen by the people, so we can tackle challenges like COVID, health care and making sure we all have the opportunity to succeed.”
