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We live in a day when elected officials seem to think they can obey laws they like and disobey laws they don't like, and the public and the legislature be damned.
Iowa democrats are not happy with Iowa laws protecting voting from fraud, so they challenge the law in court and break the law without waiting for a decision.
Iowa Secretary of State will mail ballot request forms ahead of November election
Before approving the secretary of state's request, Republicans on the Legislative Council voted down Democratic proposals to extend the early voting period from 29 days to 40 days and to allow county auditors to mail absentee ballot request forms with each voter's information already filled in.
Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, R-Ankeny, said county auditors who send out pre-filled ballot request forms would be undermining the state's voter ID law. Linn and Johnson counties have announced plans to do so.
"With this order, it is clear any auditor who sends out a pre-populated form with the voter ID PIN is ignoring the law. Auditors and voters should be on notice that this action shows clear disregard for the law and could easily lead to election fraud," Whitver said.
Rep. Sharon Steckman, D-Mason City, said officials should be trying to make it easier for people to request their ballots.
"County auditors are elected to make sure their constituents can vote without confusion. They are only sending information to the person that it belongs to," she said.
More:Two groups sue over new absentee-ballot restriction facing Iowa county auditors
Pate plans to mail blank request forms to voters. County auditors' ability to process those requests and send ballots to voters will be complicated by another law passed this year that prevents them from using the state's voter registration database to fill in any missing information on submitted request forms. That information could include a missing name, address, driver's license number or voter PIN.
On Tuesday, the League of United Latin American Citizens and Majority Forward, a Democratic-aligned nonprofit, sued Pate over the law, which requires the county auditor's office to contact the voter by telephone, email or physical mail rather than filling in the blanks using the database.
State lawmakers passed the laws for the protection of Iowa voting against fraud. Democrats do not like those protections and have announced they will not abide by the law when they send out pre-filled forms to all registered voters on the books, whether still eligible to vote or not.
Iowa democrats are not happy with Iowa laws protecting voting from fraud, so they challenge the law in court and break the law without waiting for a decision.
Iowa Secretary of State will mail ballot request forms ahead of November election
Before approving the secretary of state's request, Republicans on the Legislative Council voted down Democratic proposals to extend the early voting period from 29 days to 40 days and to allow county auditors to mail absentee ballot request forms with each voter's information already filled in.
Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, R-Ankeny, said county auditors who send out pre-filled ballot request forms would be undermining the state's voter ID law. Linn and Johnson counties have announced plans to do so.
"With this order, it is clear any auditor who sends out a pre-populated form with the voter ID PIN is ignoring the law. Auditors and voters should be on notice that this action shows clear disregard for the law and could easily lead to election fraud," Whitver said.
Rep. Sharon Steckman, D-Mason City, said officials should be trying to make it easier for people to request their ballots.
"County auditors are elected to make sure their constituents can vote without confusion. They are only sending information to the person that it belongs to," she said.
More:Two groups sue over new absentee-ballot restriction facing Iowa county auditors
Pate plans to mail blank request forms to voters. County auditors' ability to process those requests and send ballots to voters will be complicated by another law passed this year that prevents them from using the state's voter registration database to fill in any missing information on submitted request forms. That information could include a missing name, address, driver's license number or voter PIN.
On Tuesday, the League of United Latin American Citizens and Majority Forward, a Democratic-aligned nonprofit, sued Pate over the law, which requires the county auditor's office to contact the voter by telephone, email or physical mail rather than filling in the blanks using the database.
State lawmakers passed the laws for the protection of Iowa voting against fraud. Democrats do not like those protections and have announced they will not abide by the law when they send out pre-filled forms to all registered voters on the books, whether still eligible to vote or not.