iowa - Drake Political Review

<h1>The Loss of the Iowa Caucus As We Know It: Dead Dems Walking?</h1><h6><i>Is the decision by the Democratic Party to pull out of the Iowa caucus the final nail in the coffin of a dead swing state?</i></h6>

7Jun

By Caroline Siebels-LindquistNo Comments

The Loss of the Iowa Caucus As We Know It: Dead Dems Walking?
Is the decision by the Democratic Party to pull out of the Iowa caucus the final nail in the coffin of a dead swing state?

Shaken. Rocked. Grinded to a halt. And so the children of the corn did scream. The era of Iowa holding the first in the nation primaries, known nationally as the Iowa caucus, has come to a close. At least, for the Democratic Party. What Happened to the Caucus and Why Does it Matter to Iowans? After President Biden’s announcement in February to grant South Carolina the official first-in-the-nation Democratic primary status, Iowans may have been stumped, but this transition seems to have been penciled in for a couple years. With the Democratic Party’s presence in the Iowa caucus coming to a close, the separation of the parties in the once first-in-the-nation primary state proves that the cessation and growing partisanship between the Republican and Democratic Parties is anything but w...

<h1>Closing the Disability Representation Gap</h1><h6><i>Candidates and elected officials with disabilities are underrepresented in all levels of government due to the accessibility barriers and systemic biases they face.</i></h6>

19May

By Grace LongNo Comments

National, People

Closing the Disability Representation Gap
Candidates and elected officials with disabilities are underrepresented in all levels of government due to the accessibility barriers and systemic biases they face.

The 118th United States Congress has been heralded as the most diverse national legislature in the history of our country. Its membership includes the first ever Generation Z representative, and the number of women in its ranks is at an all-time high. Recent data from Pew Research Center shows that this is the most racially and ethnically diverse Congress in history. That same study shows that, at 13, the number of openly LGBTQ+ members has never been higher. Yet even with all these headline-making, record-setting gains in diversity, Congress continues to lag far behind the actual demographics of the U.S. population. Unsurprisingly, minorities are consistently underrepresented. Perhaps no minority group feels that underrepresentation more acutely than the disability community. Rut...

<h1>Lasting Effects of Redlining on the Des Moines Community</h1><h6><i>How a history of discriminatory mortgage lending practices have created a divided community </i></h6>

4May

By Meghan HolloranNo Comments

Des Moines, Local

Lasting Effects of Redlining on the Des Moines Community
How a history of discriminatory mortgage lending practices have created a divided community

Upon first glance at the laid-back Des Moines, Iowa area, many people would consider it an ordinary mid-sized midwestern city with just over 200,000 people. Des Moines is gradually investing in revitalizing its downtown and drawing in new residents with its low cost of living. However, even with revitalization and investment, Des Moines’ communities of color continue to suffer from the effects of discriminatory housing policies. Dr. Jane Rongerude, an expert in Community and Regional Planning at Iowa State University, described redlining as “the practice of putting a line on a map that was red and saying, no, no mortgage lending here.” Like in most American cities, discriminatory housing practices began in Des Moines following the Great Depression with the creation ...

<h1>Majority Women, Majority Republican</h1><h6><i>What does Iowa’s female representation in Congress mean for women in politics?</i></h6>

3Aug

By Darby HolroydNo Comments

Iowa, Local

Majority Women, Majority Republican
What does Iowa’s female representation in Congress mean for women in politics?

Art by Rachel Hartley Despite the rocky history of women’s representation in Iowa, it remains one of the few states with a majority of women representing it in Congress. Six years ago, Iowans elected a woman to the U.S. Senate for the first time. Three years later, the state elected two women to the U.S. House for the first time. It’s safe to say that women’s political leadership is a new phenomenon in Iowa. Republican Joni Ernst serves as one of Iowa’s two senators. She is joined by Republicans Rep. Ashley Hinson and Rep. Marianette Miller-Meeks as well as Democrat Rep. Cindy Axne. These women sit as three of the state’s four representatives. On top of this significant representation in Congress, Iowa also has a female governor, Kim Reynolds. This female-dominated political l...

<h1>Missing: Iowa’s Sign Language Interpreters</h1><h6><i>Communication access for deaf Iowans suffers under decline of interpreters and training programs.</i></h6>

11Oct

By Sarah BogaardsNo Comments

Iowa

Missing: Iowa’s Sign Language Interpreters
Communication access for deaf Iowans suffers under decline of interpreters and training programs.

Art by Amanda O'Brien The interpreter training program at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs began and ended with Carolyn Cool. She was a graduate of the program’s first class of young sign language interpreters in 1980. Cool immediately started her career interpreting in the legal and medical fields across central Iowa. Then, 12 years later, she returned. To live in her hometown. To work at Iowa Western. To teach new interpreters everything she knew in the same place she learned it. “It just was like the ideal job,” Cool said. “I remember saying to my husband one time, I don't know when I get paid and I don't know how much money I make because that was so irrelevant to me and I had so much fun going to Iowa Western every day.” Much of that fun was building...