Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate and Attorney General Brenna Bird have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, accusing them of withholding information about individuals registered to vote who were identified as potential noncitizens. The lawsuit comes after Pate issued guidance to challenge the ballots of over 2,000 registered voters who had reported they were not U.S. citizens but later registered to vote.
The move was challenged in court by the ACLU but was upheld by Judge Stephen Locher, who ruled there were individuals on the list who were not citizens. Pate argued that the federal USCIS office was unwilling to share citizenship status information, prompting the need for the directive.
The lawsuit filed on Tuesday asserts that the federal government has refused to comply with requests for citizenship status information of individuals on the voter rolls. Pate emphasized the need for access to federal information to ensure the integrity of elections in Iowa.
The ACLU criticized the lawsuit as a waste of time and money, stating that the federal government already offers access to citizenship data if states agree not to misuse it. However, Bird defended the lawsuit, stating that federal officials had identified noncitizens on Iowa’s voter rolls but refused to disclose their names.
The lawsuit aims to ensure that voters in Iowa are American citizens, and the state officials are committed to fighting for secure and reliable elections. Pate also mentioned that potential legislative options to address noncitizen voting could be pursued in 2025.
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