Washington, DC — Today the Democratic National Committee and the Iowa Democratic Party announced the hiring of Chris Poynor as the Iowa Voter Expansion Director. He will join Andrew Mertens, the Voter Expansion Coordinator, as part of the voter expansion team in Iowa. Poynor’s hire joins a growing roster of Voter Expansion Project staff in key states as part of the DNC's ongoing commitment to increase access to electoral participation.

“Republicans in Iowa, like Secretary of State Matt Schultz, are putting unnecessary barriers between voters and the ballot box and Schultz even spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars searching for fraud that wasn’t there,” said DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. “The Democrats’ voter expansion project will continue to knock down these types of barriers and expand access to the polls. Chris will be an important part of our work in Iowa and we’re happy to have him on our team.”

“This notion of getting more people involved in the process isn’t just a program for us or a tactic – it is one of the most fundamental values that we share as Democrats, but more importantly, as Iowans,” said Iowa Democratic Party Chair Scott Brennan. “It’s not just about strengthening our Party, it’s about strengthening our state because more voices are being heard. Democrats are committed to expanding rights, not taking them away – we want to empower people, to break down barriers and to expand opportunity for all Iowans.”

Poynor most recently practiced election law at his firm Poynor Law, PLC. Previously he worked as the Deputy Voter Protection Director for Organizing for America – Iowa, as a Law Clerk at Eide & Heisinger, LLC, and as a researcher at Link Strategies, LLC. He earned his JD from Drake University in Des Moines.