Iowa Poll: Most Iowans dislike plan to allow outside audits, cutting out state auditor

? Copyright 2024, Des Moines Register and Tribune Co.

A majority of Iowans oppose a Republican-led bill that would allow state agencies to outsource their annual audits to private CPAs, circumventing the state auditor, a position held by a Democrat, a new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll finds.

Fifty-one percent oppose the proposal, compared with 43% who are in favor. Seven percent are not sure.

Senate File 2311 would allow Iowa’s state agencies to hire a nonpartisan, certified CPA for their annual audit in lieu of the state auditor’s office. It passed the Senate in February on a party-line vote and has not yet been considered in the House.

The bill comes a year after Republicans passed a law curbing the investigatory powers of State Auditor Rob Sand, Iowa’s only statewide elected Democrat.

Sand and legislative Democrats have called the new bill a political ploy to “kneecap” the auditor’s authority, while its Republican supporters say it’s a “good government” bill that will better suit a short-staffed auditing field.

Iowans’ opinions on the proposal vary along partisan lines.

Among Republicans, 49% are in favor, with 42% opposed. More Democrats dislike the bill, with 24% in favor and 72% opposed.

Independents are closely split, with 47% in favor and 49% opposed.

Iowans’ thoughts on the bill also vary depending on how they evaluate Sand’s performance as auditor.

Those who approve of Sand’s job performance skew against the bill allowing private sector audits, with 37% in favor and 62% opposed.

A majority (55%) of those who disapprove of Sand’s performance support the bill, with 41% opposing it. Those who are not sure of Sand’s performance lean toward supporting the proposal, with 48% in favor and 36% opposed.

The Iowa Poll, conducted by Selzer & Co., surveyed 804 Iowans from Feb. 25-28. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

What Iowans think of the bill to outsource state agency audits

Rebecca Morris, a 54-year-old poll respondent from Burlington who agreed to a follow-up interview, said she opposed the proposal.

“If we’re going to go to the private sector for these audits, then what are we paying a state auditor for?” said Morris, a self-identified Republican. “If the state auditor can’t do his job, then why are we paying him?”

She also expressed concerns about the transparency of outside audits and the private firms conducting them.

“If they’re going to the private sector, who’s auditing them?” she asked.

Eric Case, a 50-year-old from Mechanicsville who also identifies as a Republican, said he thought outside auditors could bring accountability.

“I’m all for decentralization,” he said.

What Rob Sand, Republicans and Democrats have said about bill to allow private-sector audits

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Mike Bousselot, R-Ankeny, has called it an attempt to create “public innovation” and foster “good government.”

"Only in politics can the hiring of an independent, nonpartisan certified public accountant be accused of being political," said Bousselot, who also led passage of the 2023 law curbing subpoena powers.

Bousselot has said the auditor’s office and firms across Iowa have struggled to recruit and hire certified CPAs. The bill, he argues, would address a short-staffed field while granting state agencies the same option as local governments in pursuing a private audit.

Democrats have panned the bill as an attempt to diminish the standing of Sand. Sen. Tony Bisignano, D-Des Moines, called it “paranoia.”

“This isn’t the first attempt to try and diminish the state auditor,” Bisignano said. “This is a cheaper attempt, in my opinion.”

Sand said he believed the bill intends to “undermine an independently elected official of the state of Iowa, and for all the people who work in this office for taxpayers.”

Galen Bacharier covers politics for the Register. Reach him at [email protected] or (573) 219-7440, and follow him on Twitter @galenbacharier.

About the Iowa Poll

The Iowa Poll, conducted Feb. 25-28, 2024, for The Des Moines Register and Mediacom by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines, is based on telephone interviews with 804 Iowans ages 18 or older. Interviewers with Quantel Research contacted households with randomly selected landline and cell phone numbers supplied by Dynata. Interviews were administered in English. Responses were adjusted by age, sex and congressional district to reflect the general population based on recent American Community Survey estimates.

Questions based on the sample of 804 Iowa adults have a maximum margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. This means that if this survey were repeated using the same questions and the same methodology, 19 times out of 20, the findings would not vary from the true population value by more than plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Results based on smaller samples of respondents — such as by gender or age — have a larger margin of error.

Republishing the copyright Iowa Poll without credit and, on digital platforms, links to originating content on The Des Moines Register and Mediacom is prohibited.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Most Iowans oppose outside audits of state agencies, Iowa Poll finds