(Des Moines, Iowa; via the Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Sunday (Sept. 15th), was “Democracy Day, 2024.” This November, Iowa voters will not only cast their votes for candidates in the upcoming general election, but will also have the opportunity to decide if two measures are added to the state constitution. It’s one of the few opportunities Iowa voters have to weigh in directly on statewide public policy.

This year, Iowans will consider two amendment proposals, making the final decision on whether they will be enshrined in the state constitution:

Gubernatorial line of succession:

One of the constitutional amendments Iowans will vote on this year is about the state’s gubernatorial line of succession. Iowans will vote on whether whether to repeal and replace a section of the Iowa constitution dealing with what happens if an Iowa governor resigns, dies or is removed from office. The proposed new language would clarify that in these circumstances, the lieutenant governor will take over the position of governor until the end of the elected term. The measure also clarifies that this change will create a vacancy in the office of lieutenant governor, allowing the new governor to appoint a new lieutenant governor to fill the position. The amendment would change Article IV, Section 17 of the Iowa State Constitution to be:

(Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Governor Reynolds is currently able to appoint a person to serve as her lieutenant governor without stipulations or legislative approval — and has said she plans to make an appointment for the position later this fall. The person appointed will serve for the remaining term of office, until the next gubernatorial election — in this case, until 2026.

Voting age, citizenship language:

Another proposed constitutional amendment would would repeal and replace Article II, Section 1 of the Iowa State Constitution to read:

The change would codify in the state constitution that 17-year-olds are allowed to vote in primary elections if they will be age 18 by the general election, in addition to modifying the voting age from 21 to 18. These voting age regulations are already in practice under state law, but would simply be added to the state constitution if voters approve the measure in the general election. The amendment also includes a language change, replacing the wording that “every citizen of the United States” who meets voter requirements can participate in the state’s elections to instead state “only a citizen of the United States” with needed qualifications can vote.

The amendment passed through the legislative process with unanimous support in all four votes.

What constitutional amendments could Iowans see on future ballots?

Though Iowans will only cast their votes for two measures during the 2024 general election, there are other proposals working through the legislative process that may appear on the ballot in future years. Iowa Republican lawmakers, who hold a majority in the House and supermajority in the Senate, passed two proposed constitutional amendments related to taxes during the 2024 legislative session. House Joint Resolution 2006 would amend the state constitution to require a two-thirds majority vote of legislators for passing increases to individual or corporate income tax rates. Another proposal, Senate Joint Resolution 2004, would enshrine a flat individual income tax rate in the state constitution.

Democrats argued during session that these proposed constitutional amendments would hurt the state’s ability to respond to financial problems, and could mean that future lawmakers are forced to pursue taxes that disproportionately impact lower- and middle-income families, like increased sales or grocery taxes. However, Republicans including Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, said these policies are in place in many Democrat-led states’ constitutions, and that “the sky did not fall, every example of dystopian future did not happen.”

These measures passed largely along party lines in the Iowa House and Senate during the session. However, there’s still time before Iowans will see the tax proposals on a general election ballot. First, the measures must be approved during the next general assembly that will begin after the 2024 election.