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Legislators › House

Rep. Ruth Ann Gaines

Democrat · House District 33 · Polk

In office since 2011 · 8 General Assemblies

Get their floor votes and new bills they sponsor. Votes against their party come right away.

ruth.ann.gaines@legis.iowa.gov

Official profile
990
floor votes cast
50%
of votes missed (996)
97%
voted with their party’s majority · broke with it 34 times
180 of 187
party-line votes with their party (when the two parties split)

27 of their 34 breaks with their party came on bipartisan votes, where most of both parties voted the same way, so they don’t count against the party-line record.

Votes most like

How often they voted the same way (yes or no) as each House colleague in the 2026 session. How it’s worked out

Closest across the aisle: Matthew Rinker (R), 79%.

Lobbying groups they vote with

Rep. Ruth Ann Gaines’s contested votes in the 2026 session, compared with the sides 53 organizations registered on those bills.

Each legislator’s last floor vote on a bill is compared with the side the organization registered on it (its latest declaration; undecided doesn’t count). Only contested votes count, where at least a tenth of the chamber voted the other way, since most bills pass nearly unanimously. A vote on an amended bill may not be the version that was lobbied. Organizations with fewer than 3 such votes aren’t listed. Lining up with a group doesn’t mean it swayed the vote.

Recent votes

All 1986 votes →

Votes against their party

  • HF 2801 A bill for an act modifying the major economic growth attraction program, and including effective da…
    October 2, 2026 · voted no; Democrats voted 16–15 · Roll call
    No
  • SF 2379 A bill for an act relating to victim protections including victim counselors, protective orders, sex…
    April 13, 2026 · voted no; Democrats voted 17–12 · Roll call
    No
  • SF 2220 A bill for an act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to the Iowa state…
    March 24, 2026 · voted no; Democrats voted 23–8 · Roll call
    No
  • HF 2725 A bill for an act relating to education reporting, including the sharing of unit-level wage data for…
    March 24, 2026 · voted no; Democrats voted 25–6 · Roll call
    No
  • HF 2649 A bill for an act establishing a pilot program that authorizes eligible community colleges to offer …
    March 4, 2026 · voted yes; Democrats voted 8–20 · Roll call
    Yes
  • HF 2718 A bill for an act relating to the seizure of firearms, providing penalties, and including effective …
    March 4, 2026 · voted yes; Democrats voted 2–29 · Roll call
    Yes
  • HF 2645 A bill for an act relating to the establishment of an electronic court notification system.(Formerly…
    March 4, 2026 · voted no; Democrats voted 20–11 · Roll call
    No
  • HF 2618 A bill for an act eliminating the Iowa smart planning principles and other local comprehensive plann…
    March 4, 2026 · voted yes; Democrats voted 8–23 · Roll call
    Yes
  • SF 274 A bill for an act relating to forms of payment for entry into an extracurricular interscholastic ath…
    March 3, 2026 · voted no; Democrats voted 20–10 · Roll call
    No
  • HF 572 A bill for an act establishing the criminal offense of the smuggling of persons, and providing penal…
    March 20, 2025 · voted no; Democrats voted 17–12 · Roll call
    No
  • HF 860 A bill for an act prohibiting state and local regulations on fuel-powered equipment based on the equ…
    March 19, 2025 · voted no; Democrats voted 20–12 · Roll call
    No
  • HF 784 A bill for an act relating to education, including by modifying provisions related to mathematics in…
    March 18, 2025 · voted no; Democrats voted 18–15 · Roll call
    No
  • HF 782 A bill for an act relating to electronic devices in schools, including student access during instruc…
    March 18, 2025 · voted no; Democrats voted 23–9 · Roll call
    No
  • HF 180 A bill for an act relating to the criminal offense of grooming and the sex offender registry, and ma…
    February 20, 2025 · voted no; Democrats voted 25–5 · Roll call
    No
  • HR 3 A resolution affirming Iowa’s support for the State of Israel.
    February 13, 2025 · voted no; Democrats voted 18–10 · Roll call
    No
  • HF 2605 A bill for an act providing for the regulation of hemp and hemp products, providing penalties, and m…
    March 12, 2024 · voted no; Democrats voted 19–12 · Roll call
    No
  • HF 2547 A bill for an act relating to education, including by requiring school engagement meetings and atten…
    March 12, 2024 · voted no; Democrats voted 17–14 · Roll call
    No
  • HF 2310 A bill for an act relating to certain trespassing violations and associated scheduled fines. (Former…
    March 7, 2024 · voted no; Democrats voted 26–7 · Roll call
    No
  • HF 2460 A bill for an act relating to human trafficking including parole and work release and victim counsel…
    March 6, 2024 · voted no; Democrats voted 31–3 · Roll call
    No
  • HF 2485 A bill for an act relating to regulation of watercraft and equipment on public lakes by common inter…
    February 21, 2024 · voted yes; Democrats voted 15–21 · Roll call
    Yes
  • HF 565 A bill for an act relating to specified utility construction project requirements, establishing an i…
    March 22, 2023 · voted no; Democrats voted 22–11 · Roll call
    No
  • HF 604 A bill for an act relating to education, including authorizing the ombudsman to investigate complain…
    March 22, 2023 · voted no; Democrats voted 28–6 · Roll call
    No
  • HF 652 A bill for an act relating to the practice of barbering and cosmetology arts and sciences and provid…
    March 22, 2023 · voted no; Democrats voted 23–11 · Roll call
    No
  • HF 257 A bill for an act relating to third-party testers who administer the knowledge and driving skills te…
    February 15, 2023 · voted yes; Democrats voted 16–20 · Roll call
    Yes
  • HF 248 A bill for an act relating to electric power generating facility emission plans and projects, and in…
    February 15, 2023 · voted yes; Democrats voted 13–23 · Roll call
    Yes
  • SF 384 A bill for an act allowing counties to enter into agreements to jointly share a county assessor. (Fo…
    March 22, 2022 · voted no; Democrats voted 30–6 · Roll call
    No
  • HF 2481 A bill for an act relating to judicial selection, including the nominees to the court of appeals, an…
    March 10, 2022 · voted yes; Democrats voted 3–33 · Roll call
    Yes
  • HF 2497 A bill for an act relating to gambling regulation and wagering, concerning cashless wagering, forfei…
    March 2, 2022 · voted no; Democrats voted 24–16 · Roll call
    No
  • HF 2462 A bill for an act relating to penalties for the manufacture, delivery, or possession with the intent…
    March 2, 2022 · voted no; Democrats voted 22–18 · Roll call
    No
  • SF 615 A bill for an act relating to state and local finances by making appropriations, providing for legal…
    September 30, 2021 · voted no; Democrats voted 23–14 · Roll call
    No
  • SF 615 A bill for an act relating to state and local finances by making appropriations, providing for legal…
    September 30, 2021 · voted no; Democrats voted 21–18 · Roll call
    No
  • SF 615 A bill for an act relating to state and local finances by making appropriations, providing for legal…
    September 29, 2021 · voted no; Democrats voted 19–18 · Roll call
    No
  • SF 2275 A bill for an act relating to eluding or attempting to elude a pursuing law enforcement vehicle and …
    March 10, 2020 · voted no; Democrats voted 25–22 · Roll call
    No
  • HF 2372 A bill for an act regarding driver’s licenses, including the exemption of certain farmers and hired …
    March 3, 2020 · voted no; Democrats voted 26–19 · Roll call
    No