VOTE FOR CHANGE IN IOWA
Below is information on how to register to vote, key dates in the Midterm Election cycle, and a breakdown of candidates we recommend.
Primary Voting:
June 5, 2018
Election Day:
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
Primary Voter Registration Deadline: Friday, May 25, 2018
General Election Voter Registration Deadline: Saturday, October 27,2018
“Earlier this session, the Iowa GOP attempted to pass one of the most restrictive anti-choice bills in the country. Partisanship is tainting our moral compass and unfortunately, the right to exercise one’s vote is also in jeopardy. We need Secretaries of State who will take partisanship out of that office, not impose unnecessary restrictions like voter ID and unfairly drawn district boundaries. Our most fundamental right should be sacred--the right to vote.”
- Deidre DeJear (source: NARAL Pro-Choice America)
Deidre DeJear
For Secretary of State
A small business woman and former field organizer for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, Deidre DeJear is running for secretary of state because she wants to see Iowans more engaged in the electoral process.
She has:
Developed a program educate and mobilize low-propensity voters
Co-founded Back to School Iowa, a non-profit which collaborates with communities and corporations to provide educational and career-building resources for youth
The Financial Capability Network, a collaborative that gives low-to-moderate income people and families access to financial management, knowledge and skills
She has been endorsed by:
Emily’s List
NARAL Pro-Choice America
Iowa Women for Progressive Change
Higher Heights for America
"In Iowa and around the country we have seen women’s rights attacked. Just last year alone, Iowa lost four planned parenthood facilities leaving over 14,000 women and men without primary care services. That’s unacceptable. As a member of Congress, Cindy will fight to keep Washington politicians out of the Doctor’s office and out of the personal decisions between women and their doctors. That’s why Cindy will ensure that Planned Parenthood funding continues, allowing women and men to continue to receive vital healthcare services."
- Cindy Axne (source: cindyaxneyforcongress.com)
Cindy Axne
For Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District,
U.S House of Representatives
A small business owner and community activist, Cindy Axne was motivated to run for Congress because the believes the incumbent’s support of President Donald Trump is problematic for Iowans.
She has:
Worked to end a West Des Moines public school policy that only granted some public school students access to all-day kindergarten
Served in state government for nearly a decade
Been a community activist
Worked for the Chicago-based Tribune Company in strategic planning and leadership development
She has been endorsed by:
Emily’s List
… and other organizations and individuals who support her Democratic principles
“A woman’s health should be an issue considered by herself, her doctor, and her family. Washington must stay out of the way and let women make these decisions for themselves. That includes the right not to be charged more for our insurance than men, the right to have access to birth control, and the right to choose – all of which Washington politicians are threatening.”
- Abby Finkenauer (source: abbyfinkenauer.com)
Abby Finkenauer
For Iowa’s 1st Congressional District,
U.S. House of Representatives
A member of the Iowa House of Representatives, Abby Finkenauer is seeking a seat in the U.S. Congress because she wants to represent Iowa’s working families.
She has:
Fought against state bills that targeted women’s health
Fought against state bills that defunded health care providers of cancer screenings, preventive care and other health services
Been named to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s list of “Red to Blue” Candidates
Been named to the "10 Women Running for Office to Watch in 2018" by The Cut
She has been endorsed by:
NARAL Pro-Choice America
Emily’s List
Feminist Majority
Women Under Forty PAC
… and other organizations and individuals who support her Democratic ideals
“The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress want to turn back the clock on women’s health—we cannot let this happen.”
- Dave Loebsack (source: NARAL Pro-Choice America)
Dave Loebsack
For Re-election to Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District,
U.S. House of Representatives
A former political science professor, Dave Loebsack is a six–term Congressman who supports women’s rights to access a full range of reproductive health care. Your vote to return him to his seat in the U.S. House would be a vote for women’s rights.
He has:
Voted against a 20-week abortion ban bill
Voted against a bill that would have made it a crime for doctors to provide or attempt to provide abortions of any fetus 20-weeks or more
Voted against Republican-led fiscal modifications to the Affordable Care Act
He has been endorsed by:
NARAL Pro-Choice America
… and other organizations and individuals who support her Democratic ideals
“Hobby Lobby came down, the Supreme Court (in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., the Supreme Court ruled that a closely-held company can be exempt from contraceptive coverage under the Affordable Care Act.) I thought they were going to have my back on that. They did not. At that point, you know, I was a married mother and my choice of contraception is my choice. It was not as if there was some sort of ulterior motive and at that exact moment I realized that women’s health was a second-class issue and I felt like I would show my resistance by never setting foot in a Hobby Lobby again.”
- Tracy Freese (source: Eastern Iowa Atheists)
Tracy Freese
For Iowa’s State Senate, District 25
A financial services and estate planning professional, Tracy Freese also owns her own online, global marketing company and is chair of the Grundy County Democratic Central Committee. She is running for a state senate seat because she wants to fight for women and children by supporting Planned Parenthood and properly funded public education. She is also a proponent of universal healthcare and a stronger minimum wage requirement.
She has:
Helped Iowa farm families transfer their assets from one generation to another
Held executive positions on various local boards of directors, including her current position as Treasurer of the Black Hawk County 4H-FFA Foundation
She has been endorsed by:
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement
… and other organizations and individuals who support her Democratic ideals
“We MUST reverse the slide in women's reproductive healthcare rights. Our voices MUST be heard in Des Moines. I will fight for all of you.”
- Janice Weiner (source: Facebook - Janice Weiner for Iowa State Senate)
Janice Weiner
For Iowa’s State Senate, District 37
A retired diplomat with over 25 years of foreign service behind her, Janice Weiner is seeking a state senate seat because she does not like recent policies and legislation, such as a voter I.D. law and the weakening of collective bargaining rights for public employees, pushed through by the Republican-controlled state legislature. She is pro-choice and, if elected, is poised to fight for women’s access to reproductive care. Equal pay for equal work and paid family leave are also on Weiner’s list of legislative priorities.
She has:
Served the United States State Department as a diplomat in countries including Germany, Poland, Turkey, Mexico and Canada.
Fought for human rights during her foreign service career
Funded a German-American Business Roundtable and a professional women’s group during her station in Germany
Worked as a Democratic Party field organizer in Iowa
She has been endorsed by:
Emily’s List
… and other organizations and individuals who support her Democratic ideals
"I am committed to guaranteeing greater representation of women and women’s issues. Currently, only seven seats out of 50 in the Iowa Senate, are held by women. Yet, the senate makes decisions every day about the most intimate aspects of women’s lives."
- Mary Stewart
(source: marystewartforiowasenate.com)
Mary Stewart
For Iowa’s State Senate, District 41
In her first bid for elected office, retired community college administrator Mary Stewart has prioritized making affordable health care accessible to all Iowans, restoring workers’ rights so that employees can work in safe places, receive worker’s compensation and engage in collective bargaining, and increasing funding for job training programs. She also supports women’s rights to make their own reproductive health choices.
She has:
Created and coordinated regional academic and job training programs
Taught economically disadvantaged kids basic job skills
She has been endorsed by:
Emily’s List
"It is a disservice to our community and neighbors to not provide basic health care screenings and family planning services that have helped struggling women. If one of us benefits, we all benefit."
- Lori Egan
(source: The Standard)
Lori Egan
For Iowa’s State House of Representatives, District 56,
Lori Egan, a nurse, is running for a seat in the Iowa State House because she believes the state’s legislators have forgotten about the people of Clayton and Allamakee counties, whom she is hoping to represent. She also wants to ensure the area has affordable and accessible health care, as well as an educational system that will make Iowa’s kids competitive in the job market.
She has:
Served for nearly 16 years as manager of regional family planning program
Volunteered with the Red Cross, Waukon High School Athletic Booster Club, Waukon Jaycees, RAGBRAI Waukon and 4-H.
She has been endorsed by:
Emily’s List
“Over the past years, we have seen our politicians say one thing and do another. They have handed out millions of dollars of our tax money to out of state corporate entities using backroom deals. They have accepted dark money to promote legislation that hurts our hard-working Iowans. As your state representative, I will hold myself as well as other legislators and state employees accountable to our commitment to serve the people in our communities.”
- Molly Donahue
(Source: Crowdpac.com)
Molly Donahue
For Iowa’s State House of Representatives, District 68
A veteran teacher, Molly Donahue understands the challenges facing working families. She wants to make sure women get equal pay for equal work, provide working families with affordable childcare and raise the minimum wage. And, she has prioritized protecting children and victims of domestic violence and creating a health care system that serves Iowa’s most vulnerable citizens.
She has:
Worked as the first teacher at an alternative program for students who brought weapons to school
She has been endorsed by:
Emily’s List
Planned Parenthood
… and other organizations and individuals who support her Democratic principles
“I want my daughter to live in a community where the walls are coming down, not going up. And, I’m not just talking about a border wall. I’m talking about the walls here in the city of Dubuque; walls between black and white; walls and barriers between accessing safe and affordable childcare, mental health services, health care services. …”
- Lindsay James
(Source: Lindsay James for Iowa)
Lindsay James
For Iowa’s State House of Representatives, District 99
As a college chaplain, Lindsay James is all about building bridges, not walls. So the morning after the 2016 election when her young daughter, with tears in her eyes, asked her if Donald Trump’s victory meant we’d have to build a wall, she knew she had to run for elected office.
She has:
Served as a co-founder and director of the Loras College Peace Institute
Been elected to the Dubuque County Extension Council
Been an executive committee member of the Dubuque chapter of the NAACP
She has been endorsed by:
Emily’s List
Iowa Women for Progressive Change
… and other organizations and individuals who support her Democratic principles
It’s time to vote for change. Get the #VOTEPROCHOICE Voter Guide and gain access to all of the progressive, pro-choice champions on the ballot in your zip code.
The #VOTEPROCHOICE Voter Guide includes every race on the ballot highlighting #VOTEPROCHOICE endorsed prochoice champion candidates (those that have been carefully vetted by #VOTEPROCHOICE ). The guide also aggregates endorsements from their partner organizations with an emphasis on reproductive rights and reproductive justice — including NARAL Pro-Choice America, EMILY’s List, Run for Something, Blue America, The Collective PAC, Democracy for America, MoveOn and more. They’ve also included anti-choice organizations like Right To Life and NRA endorsements to provide critical transparency of the candidates’ positions.