Normally, at this point in an election year, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate is gushing about all the steps his office has taken to ensure Iowa’s ballots are secure.
“Easy to vote, hard to cheat,” is his usual mantra.
But last week, a much less effervescent Pate abruptly announced 87 Iowans who live here legally but are not citizens voted in Iowa elections. Another 67 registered to vote. Both actions are felonies. Prosecutions are possible.
Which elections did they vote in and when? Pate didn’t say.
Then he rolled out a much bigger number, 2,022, representing voters Pate said reported being noncitizens to the Department of Transportation but then voted or registered. We have no idea how many of these Iowans became naturalized citizens before they registered or voted.
He wants to flag those names in 700 precincts so poll watchers can ask for proof of citizenship. Without it, these voters will only be allowed to cast provisional ballots and have seven days to prove citizenship for their votes to count.
“I still think it’s wrong that the Secretary of State is using precinct election officials to clean up his work. I think it’s fundamentally wrong for him to do that,” Linn County Auditor Joel Miller said.
In Linn County, Miller said an initial look at 150 names on the list found three residents who have already voted in the 2024 election and another who registered.
It turns out all are U.S. citizens.
So, the list of 2,022 Iowans doesn’t tell us much. So why make a public announcement, just days before Election Day?
Pate said the timing is due to DOT data his office just received.
But it’s worth noting this is the same saga playing out in other red states.
Texas, Ohio, Alabama, Virginia and Georgia have announced similar lists and are taking similar actions. Six states, including Iowa, have constitutional amendments on the ballot chucking language such as “every,” or “all” citizens can vote and changing it to “only” citizens.
So, there is a national Republican strategy to raise the specter of noncitizen voting. It fits nicely with a false narrative the Biden administration is letting a bunch of undocumented immigrants into the country to vote.
It’s the great replacement, haven’t you heard? It’s very big in the Tiki Torch marching demographic.
Again, the Iowans were talking about are here legally.
This storyline will come in extra handy should Donald Trump be declared the loser of the 2024 vote. These numbers, which represent a tiny percentage of voters, will suddenly play a starring role in the fairy tale of a rigged election.
And wait, that’s not all. It’s entirely possible all this talk of felonies and naturalized citizens being questioned at the polls could prompt some Latino Iowans and other immigrant citizens to skip voting. Better to play it safe than get into trouble.
Pate contended he is reacting this issue with restraint. No one has been tossed off the voter rolls. For that, I’m glad.
But the fact Iowa appears to be, once again, following the lead of other red states is beyond frustrating. We’re not just another cog in the red-state political machine.
(319) 398-8262; todd.dorman@thegazette.com
www.thegazette.com
“Easy to vote, hard to cheat,” is his usual mantra.
But last week, a much less effervescent Pate abruptly announced 87 Iowans who live here legally but are not citizens voted in Iowa elections. Another 67 registered to vote. Both actions are felonies. Prosecutions are possible.
Which elections did they vote in and when? Pate didn’t say.
Then he rolled out a much bigger number, 2,022, representing voters Pate said reported being noncitizens to the Department of Transportation but then voted or registered. We have no idea how many of these Iowans became naturalized citizens before they registered or voted.
He wants to flag those names in 700 precincts so poll watchers can ask for proof of citizenship. Without it, these voters will only be allowed to cast provisional ballots and have seven days to prove citizenship for their votes to count.
“I still think it’s wrong that the Secretary of State is using precinct election officials to clean up his work. I think it’s fundamentally wrong for him to do that,” Linn County Auditor Joel Miller said.
In Linn County, Miller said an initial look at 150 names on the list found three residents who have already voted in the 2024 election and another who registered.
It turns out all are U.S. citizens.
So, the list of 2,022 Iowans doesn’t tell us much. So why make a public announcement, just days before Election Day?
Pate said the timing is due to DOT data his office just received.
But it’s worth noting this is the same saga playing out in other red states.
Texas, Ohio, Alabama, Virginia and Georgia have announced similar lists and are taking similar actions. Six states, including Iowa, have constitutional amendments on the ballot chucking language such as “every,” or “all” citizens can vote and changing it to “only” citizens.
So, there is a national Republican strategy to raise the specter of noncitizen voting. It fits nicely with a false narrative the Biden administration is letting a bunch of undocumented immigrants into the country to vote.
It’s the great replacement, haven’t you heard? It’s very big in the Tiki Torch marching demographic.
Again, the Iowans were talking about are here legally.
This storyline will come in extra handy should Donald Trump be declared the loser of the 2024 vote. These numbers, which represent a tiny percentage of voters, will suddenly play a starring role in the fairy tale of a rigged election.
And wait, that’s not all. It’s entirely possible all this talk of felonies and naturalized citizens being questioned at the polls could prompt some Latino Iowans and other immigrant citizens to skip voting. Better to play it safe than get into trouble.
Pate contended he is reacting this issue with restraint. No one has been tossed off the voter rolls. For that, I’m glad.
But the fact Iowa appears to be, once again, following the lead of other red states is beyond frustrating. We’re not just another cog in the red-state political machine.
(319) 398-8262; todd.dorman@thegazette.com
Opinion: Iowa joins red states again, this time it’s noncitizen voting
People line up to vote at the combined 23 and 36 voting precinct location at the Linn County Harris Building …
www.thegazette.com
