I’m often asked whether Iowans ever voted on a state lottery. The question usually comes from people who are in the middle of an argument over just how the lottery came to be in Iowa.
I know that memories can fade, but luckily, there are records that show the outcome of the vote by Iowans in favor of a state lottery.
In the general election on Nov. 7, 1972, Iowans went to the polls and by a margin of greater than 2-to-1, cast their votes to change the state constitution to allow a lottery in Iowa. The vote was 585,966 in favor of repealing the lottery prohibition that existed in the state constitution at that time, and 286,959 opposed to the repeal.
It took several more years after that vote of the people for legislation establishing the Iowa Lottery to pass the state Legislature and be signed into law by the governor. That didn’t happen until April 18, 1985, and the lottery started later that year with a kick-off celebration at the Iowa State Fair.
For those who are curious, below is the scanned-in total for the vote from the Iowa Official Register:
Comments