From Voter ID to Tax Reform to When Life Begins, Local Candidates Sound Off At Voter Forum

Ten candidates hoping to win seats in the Iowa House and Senate answered questions on such wide-ranging topics as dove hunting, property tax reform, judicial retention, funding for a women's correctional residential facility and whether they would support a "personhood" amendment to the Iowa constitution. Voters will elect five of them.

The League of Women Voters candidate forum was in front of a small audience at Central Middle School in Waterloo Tuesday. Moderator Don Schoultz posed the questions, giving each candidate two minutes to answer.

Another League of Women Voters forum will be held Oct. 11. That forum, which will include candidates for Black Hawk County supervisor, sheriff and auditor, will be at 6:30 p.m. at Central Middle School in Waterloo.

Here's what you need to know about the candidate's stances, based on what they said during the forum.

The candidates:

For  Iowa House District 62: Rep. Deborah Berry (D-Waterloo) and Chad Folken (Independent).

For Iowa House District 61: Rep. Anesa Kajtazovich (D-Waterloo) and Lynn Tackett (R).

For Iowa House District 60: Rep. Walt Rogers (R-Cedar Falls) and Bob Greenwood (D).

For Iowa House District 59: Rep. Bob Kressig (D-Cedar Falls) and James Kenyon (R).

For Iowa Senate District 30: Senator Jeff Danielson (D-Cedar Falls, Waterloo) and Matt Reisetter (R).

The issues:

Voter I.D. laws:

The candidates broke down along party lines on voter I.D. laws, a hot topic in Iowa and nationally. Many (mainly conservatives) have said the laws are necessary to combat voter fraud. Others (mainly liberals) have countered the elderly, minorities and the poor are less likely to have a photo I.D. and would be disproportionally effected, calling that a form of voter suppression.

The Democrats at the forum were opposed to voter I.D. laws, at least in their current forms.

"Voter suppression, no matter how you cut it, slice it, dice it, it is wrong," Berry said. "Anything you do to suppress a vote is a strike against the constitution."

The Republicans said they were opposed to voter suppression but believed Iowa should pass a voter I.D. law.

"If we have to show I.D. to cash a check, buy alcohol or board a plane, I feel our voting rights are as much if not more important," Tackett said.

Judicial retention:

Voters will decide whether to retain three judges this year, including Iowa Supreme Court Justice David Wiggins, one of seven justices who ruled unanimously in favor of same-sex marriage. Two of his colleagues were kicked off the court by voters in 2010. The candidates were asked whether they would vote to retain Wiggins.

All of the Democratic candidates and Kenyon (R) said they would vote to retain.

"If you believe you want our judges to sit in the courts and wonder why that next decision may be the reason they lose their jobs - that’s why I support a yes vote," Danielson said. "It’s not just about him, it’s about the independence of our judiciary."

Republicans Reisetter and Rogers said it was too late to keep politics out of Iowa's judiciary.

"By its very nature the fact that we’re voting to retain or not means politics has already been infused into it," Reisetter said. "That horse has left the barn."

However, both declined to say how they would vote.

Folken (I) and Tackett (R) said they would vote against retention.

"I always vote no to retention just because I believe in term limits," Folken said.

Dove hunting and lead shot:

Iowa legalized dove hunting in 2011 after passionate debate. Lead shot, also controversial, is legal for dove hunting in Iowa.

Folken (I), Tackett (R), Rogers (R), Greenwood (D) and Kenyon (R) said they would keep dove hunting legal.

"Hunting has a huge impact on economic development," Greenwood said. "People are coming from Nebraska to Iowa to hunt."

He and Kenyon, however, said they opposed allowing lead shot.

As a veterinarian, Kenyon said he knew the harm lead buildup in the environment could do to other animals. Most of the candidates agreed the use of lead shot should be considered separately than dove hunting.

Reisetter (R) said he would lean toward keeping dove hunting legal, but wasn't familiar with all the arguments for and against.

Democrats Berry, Kajtazovich, Kressig and Danielson said they opposed dove hunting.

"There were a lot of people who contacted me during this debate who have a very emotional reaction to killing doves," Danielson said. "Doves are an international symbol for peace."

Funding for Women’s Center for Change

The Women's Center for Change is a residential correctional facility that was built in Waterloo and has sat empty for over a year due to lack of funding to staff and operate it.

All the candidates agreed the center should be funded. The biggest differences during the discussion came down to principals about funding initiatives in general.

Rogers (R) said he wanted the funding and pushed for it, but he understood the need for a balanced budget and that not everything could be funded. Kajtazovich (D) said Iowa had a budget surplus this year, and that even if it didn't, staffing the center would save money because the per-inmate cost of the center would be lower than at county jails.

Personhood Amendment:

A personhood amendment is a controversial proposal that has been considered in a few states and would amend the state constitution to say life begins at conception.

Democrats Berry, Kajtazovich, Kressig and Danielson, as well as Folken (I) and Kenyon (R) said they would oppose a personhood amendment.

"I'm pro-life, but Roe v. Wade is the law of the land," Kenyon said.

"I think a woman has a right to chose what’s best for her life," Berry said. "I think that’s between her and God."

Republicans Tackett, Rogers and Reisetter, as well as Greenwood (D) said they would support a personhood amendment.

"If it true, as science leads me to believe, that life begins at conception then I am obligated to defend life," Reisetter said.

Property tax reform:

All the candidates agreed Iowa's property tax system is badly in need of reform and is punitive to small business owners.