Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand unveiled an agenda focused on accountability and transparency in state government — a “commonsense” platform he said he wanted to roll out first because it “undergirds everything else that we do” as elected officials.
The “Accountability for All” plan is the first piece of Sand’s broader “Truer Better Agenda” that he plans to outline as the campaign continues.
“I think the vast majority of Iowans, no matter where they line up politically, would agree with these ideas,” Sand told reporters at an April 2 news conference. “… We need to have public service be about public service, not insiders and special interest groups.”
The platform includes things such as banning stock trading among politicians; strengthening whistleblower protections for public employees; adding rules and transparency to the state’s Education Savings Account program; and enacting term limits and age limits.
Sand said he would work with the Legislature to find out what term limits he could get passed into law.
He said a reasonable age limit for elected officials might be 78, which is Iowa’s current mandatory retirement age for judges. He said three terms might the right number for elected officials.
“These are conversations that can be had among reasonable people,” he said. “The idea is, I want term limits. I want age limits. Let’s go get them.”
Sand said many of his ideas would require buy-in from a Legislature that is expected to remain in control of Republicans. But he said he expects many Republicans would support his ideas.
“My guess is that they would look at that and they would say, yes, those reforms are fine, because we too want transparency,” he said. “And if they don’t think that, then they should have to answer for it.
Sand, who currently serves as the state auditor, is the only Democrat on the June 2 primary ballot. He will face the winner of a five-person Republican primary election in November.
What’s in Rob Sand’s ‘accountability’ agenda in Iowa governor’s race?
Sand’s “accountability” platform includes:
Iowa GOP calls Sand’s election proposal ‘a step backwards’
Sand also proposed major changes to the way elections are conducted in Iowa to ensure independent or no-party voters have an equal say in the process.
“I think that independent voters, making them equal — nobody’s special, but everyone’s equal — is an important part of actually making a system where there’s more accountability for people in power,” he said.
On his campaign website, Sand notes he supports a public primary “where all eligible voters can participate, which would finally make independent voters equal in our state.”
Under his plan, four candidates would advance from that public primary to the general election regardless of party affiliation.
He advocates “approval voting” in the general election where a voter can vote for as many of the four candidates as they approve of. The candidate with the most votes would win.
Some Iowa Republicans took issue with Sand’s approach, arguing he would dismantle an elections system that already works.
“Rob Sand isn’t trying to fix Iowa’s elections, he’s trying to replace them,” Republican Party of Iowa spokesperson Jade Cichy said in a statement. “Iowa already delivers secure elections, voter ID, and fast, reliable results. Sand’s plan trades that for a confusing, untested system that puts all of that at risk. That’s not progress, it’s a step backward.”
Sand pushed back on the criticism, saying in other states where this type of proposal has been raised, no matter who’s in charge, “the party that is in control will fight” it.
“What I have proposed would give independent voters an equal voice,” he said. “And anybody who says anything other than that are the people who are clinging to power in this state because they’re desperate to keep it.”
Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register. She writes about campaigns, elections and the Iowa Caucuses. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on X at @brianneDMR.
Marissa Payne covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for theDes Moines Register. Reach her by email at mjpayne@registermedia.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @marissajpayne.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Rob Sand’s ‘accountability’ agenda includes term limits, civics tests
Reporting by Brianne Pfannenstiel and Marissa Payne, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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