Vote yes on taking the word "idiot" out of the Iowa constitution

by: desmoinesdem

Thu Oct 09, 2008 at 20:00:00 PM CDT

THE QUESTION: Iowa voters will be asked to strike the words "idiot" and "insane person" from a section of the Iowa Constitution that refers to people who are banned from voting. The words would be replaced with the more socially acceptable term "mentally incompetent."
THE ACTION: An amendment needs to be approved by simple majorities in the Iowa House and Senate in two consecutive general assemblies. It then needs to be approved by a simple majority of voters in the next general election.
THE HISTORY: Voters in Iowa may remember hearing about this amendment before. It was supposed to be on the ballot in 2006. But the secretary of state's office, then headed by now-Gov. Chet Culver, and the then-chief clerk in the House failed to publish a notice of the proposed changes as required.

Representative Pam Jochum, who is one of the best we've got in the Iowa legislature, has been trying to get this done for years.

Don't leave that part of the ballot blank--vote yes.