Iowa students woo legislators with cupcakes
22 February, 2012
category: Education
Can cupcakes convince legislators to vote a certain way? College Republicans at the University of Iowa think so. They handed out cupcakes to lawmakers to urge their support of a voter ID bill. All legislators had to do was show their own ID, such as a driver license, to receive the goody.
“We’re handing out cupcakes just to show how easy it is to show IDs,” University of Iowa College Republicans President Kelsey Boehm said.
The legislation is being pushed by Secretary of State Matt Schultz and would require voters to present a government- or school-issued ID to vote. “If you have to show your ID for [other things], why not when you vote?” he said.
But Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, said he thinks the bill will suppress voter turnout. “They are trying to sell it under the idea that there’s voter fraud in Iowa,” he said. “As I understand it, there has only been one case [of it] in 25 years. Voter fraud is not a big thing in Iowa.”
In addition, the University of Iowa Student Government recently passed a resolution opposing the bill. Read more here.