DES MOINES, IOWA (March 6, 2025) — The Libertarian Party of Iowa (LPIA) strongly opposes House Study Bill 281, a blatant attempt to silence political competition in Iowa by raising the threshold for major party status from 2% to 10%.
This unprecedented five-fold increase would effectively eliminate alternative parties from the political landscape, denying Iowans the right to real electoral choices.
“This is nothing more than an effort to rig the system in favor of the political establishment,” said Jules Cutler, Chair of the LPIA. “Iowans deserve better than a system designed to suppress competition and limit their choices at the ballot box.”
HSB281 is the latest in a troubling pattern of legislative efforts aimed at blocking alternative candidates and suppressing voter choice:
2019: Lawmakers attempted to move ballot petition deadlines from August to March, a move that was ultimately struck down in federal court.
2021: The legislature significantly increased signature requirements for statewide and federal offices, making ballot access harder than ever.
2024: Libertarian candidates thought to be a threat to vulnerable Republican candidates were targeted and thrown off the ballot due to technicalities.
Now in 2025: HSB 281 seeks to quintuple the major party threshold, creating an insurmountable barrier for political competition.
This barrier has already proven to be difficult to achieve and maintain, with only the Green Party in 2000 and the Libertarian Party in 2016 and 2022, briefly achieving major party status before falling below the 2% threshold in subsequent elections; demonstrating that the current threshold is already more than sufficient.
If passed, HSB 281 would make Iowa one of the most restrictive states in the nation for alternative parties, leaving voters with fewer choices and less accountability in government.
Take Action to Protect Democracy in Iowa
LPIA urges all Iowans who value free and fair elections to contact their legislators immediately and demand they vote NO on HSB 281 or amend it to keep the threshold at 2%.
"Iowa has a long history of political independence and strong democratic traditions," Cutler added. "We cannot allow self-serving politicians to dismantle that legacy just to protect their own power."
The Libertarian Party of Iowa is committed to America’s heritage of freedom: individual liberty and personal responsibility, a free-market economy of abundance and prosperity, a foreign policy of non-intervention, peace, and free trade. Find out more at lpia.org.
