An independent student newspaper serving Iowa State since 1890
10.16.2016 Vol. 219 No. 042
TUESDAY
IOWA STATE DAILY
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY PETER LEMKEN/IOWA STATE DAILY “In my perfect world, our school would be advocating loudly against voter ID laws in general, just because it affects their students,” Taylor Blair said. “They say that voting is a habit, and so if we are making it hard for people to vote and they stop voting, it’s unlikely that they’ll continue voting.”
ISU IDs not valid under voter ID law BY TYRUS.PAVICICH @iowastatedaily.com Students, public officials and action groups are asking Iowa State to make voting easier for students as Iowa’s new voter ID laws will be in partial effect for 2018’s midterm election. The law, signed in 2017 by former Gov. Terry Branstad and championed by Secretary of State Paul Pate, adds a requirement for voters to present a valid form of identification in order to ensure their eligibility, amongst other regulations, but some say this could pose a threat to the integrity of the system it was designed to protect. However, most of the law’s provisions won’t be in effect for this election, due to an injunction filed by Taylor Blair, president of Iowa State’s College Democrats, alongside the League of United Latin American Citizens of Iowa. As a result, unregistered voters without a valid ID will be allowed to register on election day by signing an affidavit swearing they are who they claim to be.
Students who want to register on election day will be able to verify their address using the “Vote Reg Address” tab on AccessPlus. Although student identification cards are recognized forms of ID under the new law, Iowa State IDs will not be allowed due to their lack of an expiration date. In a correspondence with Iowa State President Wendy Wintersteen, Pate urged the university to modify student ID cards to be acceptable forms of identification for voter registration and to provide official documentation to students which could be used as proof of residence. Wintersteen acknowledged the request but made no promises about revising ID cards, although the university subsequently added a digital proof of residence page to AccessPlus. Blair said, in his communications with the president’s office, he was told revisions to student IDs would likely be unfeasible. “They said that it’s too expensive, and they had reasons why it wouldn’t work with expiration dates because people are here for different amounts of time, stuff like that,” Blair said. “And I think that’s sad because one of the mottos for our school in the strategic
plans is something like creating knowledgeable citizens, I can’t remember what the words are exactly, but if we’re not going to help people vote I think that goes against our mission as a school.” Pate has since created a statewide “task force” featuring representatives from the Iowa regent universities, although Blair said the group has yet to meet. He criticized the university’s delayed action, saying he viewed the waiting on the task force’s decision as an excuse to “shirk their own responsibility.” Blair said he was disappointed, but not surprised, by the university’s response to the new law. “In my perfect world, our school would be advocating loudly against voter ID laws in general, just because it affects their students,” Blair said. “They say that voting is a habit, and so if we are making it hard for people to vote and they stop voting, it’s unlikely that they’ll continue voting.” University Relations Director, John McCarroll, said the university’s solution of including proof of residence on AccessPlus
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Collin Daniel Richards pleads not guilty, court date set for Jan. 15 BY DEVYN.LEESON @iowastatedaily.com The man charged with murder in the first degree of Celia Barquín Arozamena pleaded not guilty, according to court documents. Collin Daniel Richards, 22, was charged with fi r s t - d e g re e mu rd e r on Sept. 17 after police found Richards with the weapon suspected of being used to kill Barquín Arozamena earlier that day. COLLIN Barquín Arozamena sufRICHARDS fered stab wounds to the upper torso, head and neck. A knife was recovered that had been in the possession of Richards, according to the criminal
complaint. Richards was obser ved to have fresh scratches on his face consistent with fighting, and he “attempted to conceal a deep laceration in his left hand,” according to the criminal complaint. Richards had an in-person arraignment scheduled Monday that was canceled. Instead, court documents indicate the plea was written and submitted to the court Monday morning. Paul W. Rounds, a public defender, is representing Richards. “I have been advised by the above-named attorney and understand that I have a right to arraignment in open court, and I hereby voluntarily waive that right, choosing instead to sign this written arraignment and plea of not guilty,” according to court documents Richards signed.
Judge Bethany Currie set the court date for Richards for Jan. 15, 2019 at 9 a.m., according to court documents filed Monday. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Dec. 17 at 1 p.m. in the Story County Courthouse in Nevada. Richards’ plea does not come as a surprise; Rounds told the Iowa State Daily on Sept. 19 that his client would plead not guilty to the charge of first-degree murder. “In my experience, the initial police reports rarely tell the whole story,” Rounds said at the time. “ We just hope that the people keep an open mind until the trial.” Richards has had an extensive criminal history as well. Among charges Richards has been convicted or plead guilty to are domestic abuse assault, first-degree harassment and third-degree attempted burglary.
Richards pleaded guilty to first offense first-degree domestic abuse assault in September 2015 from an incident that occurred on May 31, 2015. Richards was sentenced to a suspended sentence of 60 days in jail, one year of probation and $315 fine. Richards pleaded guilty to first-degree harassment in January 2017. Richards was sentenced to completion of an anger management program, two years of probation, a 90-day suspended jail sentence and a $625 fine. Richards pleaded guilty to third-degree attempted burglary and third-degree theft in January 2017 and was given a suspended sentence of two years in prison, two years of probation and a fine of $625. The Iowa State Daily’s K. Rambo contributed to this story.