Axios Explains: Iowa Secretary of State sued for push against noncitizen voting
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate at the Polk County Election Office. Photo: Linh Ta/Axios
Almost two weeks before Election Day, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate instructed county auditors to challenge the ballots of more than 2,000 registered voters that he alleged might not be citizens.
Why it matters: Pate, a Republican, says he is working to ensure the election's integrity.
- But Pate's list is based on outdated information that could burden naturalized citizens and deter people from voting, according to the ACLU of Iowa and League of United Latin American Citizens of Iowa (LULAC).
Driving the news: Both groups filed a federal lawsuit against Pate's office Wednesday night, asking the courts to block his effort and allow the people on the list to vote as they normally would.
Threat level: The list isn't public, so people might not realize they're on it until they vote.
Catch up quick: On Oct. 22, several days after early voting started, Pate told county auditors to challenge the ballots of 2,176 people who'd previously told the Iowa Department of Transportation they were noncitizens.
- His office supervises the state's 99 locally elected county auditors and their administration of election laws.
Yes, but: The DOT list is 12 years old, and many of the people who once reported they were not citizens could have become naturalized since then.
- Pate says he knows the data is flawed and asked the Department of Justice and Homeland Security to provide a current list to help verify eligibility.
- He was denied, according to a statement from his office Thursday.
Details: In Iowa, a voter suspected of not being a citizen can be challenged by the county auditor, a registered voter or poll worker.
- If that happens, a voter must provide proof of citizenship at the polls, get validated by the county auditor or fill out a provisional ballot and prove their citizenship by Nov. 12.
The big picture: This election cycle, legal battles over voter eligibility and election results are at a new high.
- Former President Trump's campaign has built a network of more than 150,000 poll workers and watchers to "Protect the Vote."
- Vice President Harris' campaign told the New York Times its election legal team is 10 times larger than Biden's was in 2020.