The second-biggest statistical secret in Iowa politics could be out in
the open if a Linn County Republican's bill passes the Legislature.
The biggest secret, of course, is the raw vote total from the
Democratic caucuses. That's still hush-hush. But the second-biggest
mystery is how the absentee votes break out by precinct. Current Iowa
law, drafted in an age when the only absentee voters were shut-ins,
service people and expatriates, requires that all absentee ballots
across a county be counted as a separate precinct. The law forbids
auditors from releasing any breakdown below the county level.

Labels: state House, state Senate