by JH Snider | Nov 1, 2020
Have Iowans liked state constitutional conventions? Opponents of the Nov. 3 referendum would like you to think conventions are as obsolete and unpopular as the flintlock blunderbuss. But Iowans have arguably called six state constitutional conventions: three...
by JH Snider | Oct 31, 2020
Have Iowans liked state constitutional conventions? Opponents of the Nov. 3 referendum would like you to think conventions are as obsolete and unpopular as the flintlock blunderbuss. But Iowans have arguably called six state constitutional conventions: three...
by JH Snider | Oct 10, 2020
Education, communication and political science have greatly improved since 1857 Iowa’s Nov. 3 ballot includes a statewide referendum asking Iowans if they want to call a state constitutional convention. If Iowans vote yes, Iowa’s Constitution grants them two more...
by JH Snider | Sep 21, 2020
Do Iowans support calling a state constitutional convention on Nov. 3? Since 1900, Iowa’s political insiders have argued that Iowans have known better than to call a convention on that decennial referendum question. But that 120-year history is more ambiguous than its...
by JH Snider | Aug 16, 2020
Conventions are a check on legislatures, so legislatures have always opposed them. But with the growth of career-oriented as opposed to citizen legislators, incumbent opposition has intensified. J.H. Snider, Iowa View contributor Iowa’s Constitution mandates a...