Campaign staff for Rep. Cindy Axne (D – Iowa) locked the door and refused to accept handwritten messages from citizens of her Des Moines-area district imploring her to retract her past support of a Congressional bill that sought to ban flavors in smoke-free nicotine products. The letters and testimonials were written by adult ex-smokers who fear that policies would drive themselves and tens of thousands of her constituents back to smoking deadly combustible cigarettes.

“Rep. Axne ignored her constituents when she voted in favor of a flavor ban on safer nicotine products two years ago,” said Tim Andrews, Director of Consumer Issues at Americans for Tax Reform, which is currently co-sponsoring a national “We Vape, We Vote” bus tour. “Rather than listening to her constituents, Rep. Axne seems content to be guided by science denying out of touch elites.”  

“The scientific evidence is clear: Vaping is 95% safer than smoking, it’s 2-6 times more effective than other forms of nicotine replacement therapy, and has the potential to save over six million American lives. Rather than try to combat youth use, Rep. Axne instead wants to stop adults from quitting smoking. Flavor bans, such as the one Rep. Axne voted for, will only lead to more smokers. The tens of thousands of vapers in Iowa’s 3rd District should not forget this come November 8.”  

Polling commissioned by Americans for Tax Reform has found that 83% consider vaping to be a vote-moving issue. Adult vapers are also likely to turn out and vote at considerably higher levels than the national average.  

The WeVapeWeVote bus tour is a nonpartisan joint project of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), the American Vapor Manufacturers Association (AVM), the Consumer Advocates for Smoke Free Alternatives Association (CASAA), and the Iowa Vape Association (IVA) dedicated to inform the country about the power of the vape vote and to encourage lawmakers to make smart, informed decisions around vaping policy.  

The full video can be seen below: