Vote likely on 21-only Iowa City bar law after successful petition drive

Iowa City's controversial 21-and-older bar law is likely headed to voters.

City Clerk Marian Karr said Thursday that a petition drive seeking to send the issue to the public for a vote was successful.

The petition organizers, known as Y.E.S.S. (Yes to Entertaining Students Safely) to 19, turned in about 3,300 signatures in mid-May, but Karr said they were more than 1,200 short of the required 2,500 valid signatures.

The group had one chance and 15 days to get enough signatures, and Karr said Thursday she certified the petition with 2,961 valid signatures.

The petition seeks to repeal the new law approved by the City Council that bans people younger than 21 from bars after 10 p.m. The law took effect June 1. Previously, people 19 and older were allowed in bars at night.

The council must now decide whether to repeal the law itself – an unlikely scenario given that the measure passed 6-1 – or send it to voters. Council members have said they would expect to put it on the ballot for the Nov. 2 general election.

It would be the second time in three years the public voted on the matter. Led by strong student turnout, a 21-only proposal was defeated 58 percent to 42 percent in 2007.

The current petition was organized by Raj Patel, a University of Iowa student from Burlington.