Statement on Voting Rights Restoration Executive Order in Iowa

Des Moines, IA — The Board of No Justice No Peace and the New Frontier Action Fund have released the following statement welcoming the signing of an executive order by Governor Kim Reynolds restoring voting rights to Iowans who have completed prison sentences, probation, and parole:

“This is one example of what ‘good trouble’, as the late Congressman John Lewis said, can accomplish. We welcome the signing of this Executive Order. We thank Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad, the NAACP, Governor Reynolds, the leadership of Des Moines #BlackLivesMatter, and others who were involved in pushing for this action.

That said, the fight for a #BlackNewDeal isn’t over. African-Americans are still incarcerated at 4x the rate of their white counterparts in Iowa, our Black and Latino neighborhoods and communities are struggling at disproportionate rates from COVID-19, and young black men are nearly six times more likely to be incarcerated for simple possession of marijuana.

We will continue to hold elected officials accountable for these ideals and advocate for a constitutional amendment that will permanently restore voting rights to all Iowans during the next Iowa General Assembly. 

God bless.”

The Board of No Justice No Peace includes Des Moines community activist and leader Rob Johnson, former U.S. Senate Candidate Eddie Mauro, and Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party’s Black Caucus Al Womble. More information about No Justice No Peace PAC is available at NJNPPAC.ORG.