Gordon Gammack Cast Final 1974 Ballot Before Election Day Death

When a Dying Man Cast His Final Ballot

In late October 1974, Gordon Gammack was confined to a sofa sleeper set up in his family room because he could no longer climb the stairs. As chronicled by his daughter, her father had few requests in his final days, but voting was one of them. Dan Johnston, a former legislator who would later become Polk County Attorney, and State Representative Norman Jesse came to the house to help him cast his ballot.

Thirteen days after the midterm election of 1974, held on November 5, Gordon Gammack took his final breath. That midterm election arrived in the wake of a presidential scandal of historic proportions, sweeping in the so-called Watergate Babies class of Congress. Today, with an election approaching, the mechanics of getting a ballot to someone who cannot reach the polls look markedly different.

The Margin of Six Votes

Elections are rarely settled by broad landslides alone. Sometimes they turn on margins smaller than the seating capacity of a family dining room.

Gordon Gammack Cast Final 1974 Ballot Before Election Day Death

In 2020, Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks defeated Democrat Rita Hart for Congress by just six votes out of nearly 394,000 cast. In 2022, Democrat Josh Turek won his Iowa House seat by six votes. Three voters changing their minds would have produced a tie. Four would have reversed the outcome entirely.

Yet a recent informal poll run by Julie Gammack of readers found that two percent of respondents still did not know whether they intended to vote in this midterm election. In contests decided by narrow margins, two percent represents a decisive block of citizens who remain uncommitted to participation itself.

What Has Changed Since 1974

Iowa’s voting laws have undergone a series of legislative changes over the past decade. The 2017 voter identification law, House File 516, required voters to present specified identification. Subsequent legislation in 2021, including Senate File 413 and Senate File 568, shortened early voting windows from 29 days to 20 days, moved Election Day closing times from 9 p.m. to 8 p.m., eliminated the previous postmark exception for absentee ballots, and placed restrictions on who could collect and return another person’s ballot.

Supporters of these adjustments argue they safeguard election security and build public confidence.

For homebound Iowans requiring assistance today, navigating the rules demands careful planning. Absentee ballots must reach the county auditor by 8 p.m. on Election Day, November 3. The deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail has already passed, but early in-person voting continues through Monday, November 2.

Worth a look