What's going on in this country right now is unprecedented in so many ways, but sadly, not so much in others. 2020 is as important as any time in history to make our voices heard, and this week, people in Iowa did.

The pandemic didn't stop folks from heading to the polls in Iowa on June 2, and the George Floyd aftermath may have added to their urgency. The state set a record for voter turnout in a June primary, despite fewer physical polling stations open, restrictions on those that were open due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and more people choosing to vote by mail as a result.

According to the secretary of state Paul Pate, over 500,000 voters got involved in Tuesday's primary. The vast majority were, indeed, voting absentee. The previous record was set in 1994 at 449,490 Iowans who voted in the primary.

According to Iowa's News Now, Pate said "despite the COVID-19 pandemic and protests going on across the state, Iowans made their voices heard in record numbers". That took place "despite" the pandemic and protests, but more likely because of them.

Pate credited not only voters, but courageous poll workers who didn't shirk from their civic responsibility despite the majority of them being of the most susceptible age and conditions for COVID-19, as well the county auditors across the state, and Iowa's Homeland Security and Emergency Management Departments, as well as the National Guard, who were utilized to safely deliver protective gear to the polls.

November is just around the corner.

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