Kim Reynolds signs law changing how Iowa counties with public universities elect supervisors

The counties where Iowa’s three public universities are based will have to change how they elect county supervisors, beginning next year, under a law signed Friday by Gov. Kim Reynolds.

The legislation, Senate File 75, says Johnson, Story and Black Hawk counties — home to the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa — will need to begin electing supervisors by district rather than the at-large system they currently use.

That’s a different standard than the rest of Iowa’s 99 counties, which can choose from three methods of electing county supervisors:

• By district, where voters vote only for the supervisor who lives in their district.
• At large, with all voters in the county voting for every supervisor.
• At large, but with each supervisor required to reside in separate districts.

Reynolds announced the bill signing without comment in a news release Friday afternoon.

Republican lawmakers said the bill would provide rural representation to those counties’ boards of supervisors, while Democrats said it was targeted at counties that elect Democrats and unfairly treats three of Iowa’s counties differently than the remaining 96.

The three counties are required to establish a temporary county redistricting commission by May 15, and the commissions must complete a plan by Oct. 1 to be used in the 2026 election.

Beginning immediately, the three counties are also required to hold special elections to choose supervisors in the event of a vacancy, rather than allowing the board of supervisors to appoint a replacement to serve the remainder of the seat’s term.

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on X at @sgrubermiller.