Republican legislators are attempting three changes to Iowa election law to ensure what they call consistency and integrity, but the Senate is expected to let the bill die.

House File 793, which was written by members of the House State Government Committee, was passed March 31 by the House in a party line vote, 51-48. The bill would require photo identification verification at polling sites and reduce the number of hours available for citizens to vote. The bill would also repeal citizens’ ability to petition for satellite voting stations.

“These changes are important to the integrity of the voting system,” said House State Government Committee chairman Jeff Elgin, R-Cedar Rapids. “All three of them help deal with the issue of running fair and impartial elections.”

Elgin said voter fraud — and whether it is a problem for Iowa — is something that should be addressed.

Voter registration lists become outdated as voters move and neglect to notify the county, he said.

“You end up having a lot of names that are not valid on those voter registration lists,” Elgin said. “It’s a concern that those names could potentially be used.”

Story County Auditor Mary Mosiman said she is not aware of voter fraud in Iowa.

Mosiman, a Republican, said although she does not support mandatory photo verification based on fraud, she thinks it would help polling consistency, which is one of the main goals of the Help America Vote Act, a federal act designed to help avoid polling problems like the ones that occurred during the 2000 general election in Florida.

“That is something I can stand behind,” Mosiman said.

Polls would close an hour earlier if the bill passes.

“We call it the voters suppression bill,” said Rep. Mary Mascher, D-Iowa City. “It’s a way to keep people from going to the polls.”

Elgin said keeping the polls open until 9 p.m. is unnecessary. He said changes in absentee voting regulations have made it easier to vote from home, making the 9 p.m. closing time unnecessary.

Mascher said part of the Republicans’ motivation is to discourage Democrats from voting.

She said Republicans are more likely to vote early in the day, whereas Democrats vote later.

Mosiman said having two different poll-closing times confuses people, adding Iowa is one of the few states where polls are open for 14 hours for primary and general elections.

For other elections, such as the recent special election, polls close at 8 p.m.

“Given the increased participation of voters in the absentee process, I don’t see the need for more election coverage,” Mosiman said. “There certainly is activity between 8 and 9 p.m., but if the polls closed at 8 p.m., we’d have that same activity, only earlier.”

Mosiman said closing polls earlier would save the county money, but the savings would not be substantial.

The bill would also eliminate a citizen’s ability to petition for satellite voting sites.

Elgin said some people who seek satellite voting sites are “pushing the envelope.” He said people in Linn County have requested satellite voting sites at churches on Sundays for special elections regarding gambling.

He also said these sites have been requested for campuses the same day as political rallies.

“Is the purpose of this to allow those in the general population to vote, or is this being pushed as a political issue of accumulating votes for one side or the other?” Elgin said.

Mosiman said she has not had a chance to examine the bill closely but favors all rights regarding petitioning.

Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, said Senate Democrats are unlikely to support a bill that would further restrict voting.

“It’s very likely that any bill along those lines would die,” Quirmbach said. “Our party’s position is that we should open up more opportunity for people to vote.”

The changes will fail if the Senate, which is evenly split down party lines, does not act on the House bill by Friday.