DES MOINES, Iowa — There's an entire document on the Iowa legislative website that outlines the election laws of Iowa. There's a lot of them so Local 5 is on your side sharing the ones you must know before heading to the polls this election. The ones you should familiarize yourself with the are the laws that fall under 'Election Misconduct'.
These can be registration fraud which means tampering or lying on your voter registration form. Voter intimidation is also an important one to note this year as President Trump has encouraged voters to 'watch the polls.'
Voter fraud is when an individual tries to vote twice or makes a false statement on a voter application. It is also illegal to pay or offer someone money to sway an individual's vote and to tamper with election equipment and software.
All of those are considered felonies, meaning if you are charged and convicted you will likely face jail time.
According to the Iowa Secretary of State, nine voters allegedly voted twice or committed voter fraud in the 2018 general election. More than 1.3 million Iowans voted in that election.