Rural Iowa towns face barriers to accessing federal money / Public News Service

Leaders in small towns in Iowa sometimes express frustration when trying to get help from the federal government.

Local and federal officials recently met to discuss challenges in rural Iowa and ways to address them. Officials from a small town in Iowa met with federal agencies at the “Connecting the Corridor” session to learn how to close the gap between knowing what money is available and how to use it on the ground .

Michael Holton, town manager for Treynor, population 1,100, talked about some of the challenges.

“Most of these small, rural communities don’t have dedicated people who are necessarily on top of their game when it comes to raising money to get through the difficult days,” Holton explained. “They need to count on other people who can help them solve this puzzle.”

Holton pointed to Iowa’s extremely active tornado season this year and admitted that knowing how to get funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is a challenge. He noted that local officials had direct federal contacts during the Connecting the Corridor session to call with future problems.

The American Rescue Plan Act made federal COVID relief money available to even the smallest cities for some pretty big projects. Holton noted that in some cases the money came in the form of Destination Iowa grants.

“Treynor was fortunate to receive an $800,000 Destination Iowa Scholarship,” Holton said. “It’s the administrative details that slow it down.”

Holton acknowledged the importance of some red tape to avoid fraud and said the Connecting the Corridor session helped bridge the gap between local and federal agencies by cutting through red tape.

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This November, Oregon could join a growing number of states moving to ranked-choice voting in federal and state elections.

Measure 117 would allow Oregonians to rank candidates based on their preference rather than just selecting one, and ensure the winner receives more than 50% of the vote.

Blair Bobier, co-founder of the group Oregon Ranked Choice Voting, said this would make each ballot more impactful and campaigns more inclusive.

“I support it because it gives people more voice and more choice,” Bobier said. “Candidates need to appeal to a broader section of the community and not just focus on a very small group of enthusiastic supporters.”

Critics of ranked-choice voting have argued that it is expensive and that complex voting can lead to errors. In Oregon, the city of Corvallis and Benton County have used ranked-choice voting for several years, and Bobier noted that voters like it better and it’s easier to use.

Melanie Billings-Yun, a member of the League of Women Voters of Oregon, said the system is trustworthy based on three studies the organization has conducted on election reforms.

“Ranked-choice voting has been tested across the country and proven to be as accurate as any other form of voting,” Billings-Yun said.

Bobier added that ranked choice voting leads to more diversity among elected officials. He noted that when San Francisco began adopting a ranked-choice system in 2004, voters elected the most diverse Board of Supervisors in the city’s history.

“We’re definitely seeing more women and more people of color being elected in places that have ranked-choice voting than in traditional pick one voting,” Bobier emphasized.

This reporting was supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

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As early voting begins today, AARP Connecticut is informing voters about this year’s election.

This is the first election in which the state will conduct early in-person voting after passing a constitutional amendment last year that allowed it.

The group has a voter education website that provides all the necessary information about how, where and when to vote.

Nora Duncan, AARP Connecticut state director, said it’s helpful because more people are voting now than in the primary.

“There are a few days where they stay open even later,” Duncan said. “It’s just a matter of finding out where the polling station is in your city. So this is new for everyone. We hope that people really think about whether I need to vote early and whether I want to vote early.”

Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, as many people were unaware the state was conducting early in-person voting.

She added that people were equally surprised by the ballot initiative to implement no-excuse absentee voting. For all this information and more, visit aarp.org/ct and search for the Voter Education Guide.

Although this is the first general election to feature early voting, it made its debut during the primaries.

While many elected officials are glad they exist, some fear reforms are needed to justify the costs. Duncan said there are challenges making sure people understand early voting.

“Early voting runs from October 21st to November 3rd,” Duncan said. “You cannot vote early on the Monday before Election Day. “You need to be prepared that if you are not present, you will not be able to request an absentee ballot, which we have a few reasons for. If you want to request an absentee ballot, just know the dates, time and location.”

She noted that the website only presents facts about Connecticut elections and is not filled with partisan rhetoric.

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More than 3.6 million Minnesotans are registered to vote this fall. But if you’re worried that something might disqualify you from voting, officials say submitting a personal bill could be the saving grace.

Minnesota residents can check their voter registration online to avoid potential setbacks before voting early in person or on Election Day.

But Luke Turner, Olmsted County elections director, said if you recently moved and your ID hasn’t been updated with the new address, you probably need to update your registration immediately.

This process also includes providing a current invoice with your new address.

“It could be telephone, waste, sewage, electricity, gas or water, banking or loans, rent or mortgages,” Turner said.

Start-of-service documents are also welcome – as are current tuition statements for college-age voters. But whatever you provide must be dated within 30 days of the Nov. 5 election.

Turner said that while trying to solve this problem may seem intimidating, poll workers are trained to ensure solutions are found. He adds that being prepared with documents makes it even easier.

“The risk a voter has if they are not prepared is the risk of being turned away,” Turner said. “Well, that doesn’t apply all day long — the election judges will still allow you to vote — but you risk having to go home and get those documents.”

And you may not even have to run home for this, because in such situations it doesn’t have to be just a written statement.

If you can access a document on your smartphone, Turner says those digital versions will also be accepted.

This reporting was supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

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