Hunter
10/24/25
A group of voters in Johnson, Black Hawk and Story counties are suing the governor, secretary of state and the boards of supervisors in those counties, saying a new state law is unconstitutional.
The Gazette reports Senate File 75 requires Iowa counties with Iowa’s three Regent universities to elect their county supervisors by districts, rather than at-large. All three counties — Johnson, Black Hawk and Story — currently have Democratic-leaning boards and elect supervisors countywide.
Iowa Republican legislators who backed the bill said it was necessary to give rural voters in those counties more of a voice in counties with a large number of college students.
The plaintiffs argue that the law implies that student voices are somehow less legitimate than non-student voices and those students are too irresponsible to handle their choice in an election that voters in Iowa’s 96 other counties are fully able to make.
The suit seeks a temporary injunction to prevent redistricting in the three counties.
If the new law remains in effect, supervisors in Johnson County will all be on the ballot for 2026. Previously, there have been staggered terms. To continue that process, the county will use a random selection process at a public meeting to determine which districts will have two year terms and which will get four-year terms.