Federal court hears arguments over Iowa's 'potential noncitizen' voter list

Federal officials confirmed at a federal court hearing Friday that there are 250 names on Iowa’s voter registry that appear to be noncitizens, but said they have not shared the identities of these individuals with state officials.

U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Locher heard arguments in a case brought by the ACLU on behalf of naturalized citizens and the League of United Latin American Citizens calling for Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate to rescind his guidance to county auditors to challenge ballots of registered voters listed as potential noncitizens by the state office.

The lawsuit was filed late Wednesday against the state office and five county auditors. It is challenging a list of 2,022 individuals registered to vote or who have voted who identified themselves to the state — most commonly the Department of Transportation — as noncitizens in the past 12 years. Pate announced the list in late October after early voting was underway.

Pate said in a news conference Wednesday that he directed local elections officials to challenge the qualifications of these voters because he was not able to secure information from the federal government confirming their citizenship status.



https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/11/01/federal-court-hears-arguments-over-iowas-potential-noncitizen-voter-list/