Local 5 news has recently obtained information regarding an email exchange between the state of Iowa and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The details were revealed as part of a lawsuit filed by Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate and State Attorney General Brenna Bird. The lawsuit demands access to citizenship data to verify voter statuses, claiming that Iowa had requested the data previously but never received it.
The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday, alleges that the Secretary of State’s Office had requested information from the Iowa Department of Transportation to help verify the citizenship status of registered voters. The lawsuit states that over 2,100 names were found on the list provided by the IDOT, with 65,000 registered voters lacking an IDOT number, making it difficult to verify their citizenship status.
Following the initial request for data, the Secretary of State’s Office collaborated with an agent from the Des Moines Field Office of USCIS to verify citizenship statuses. After exchanging messages and phone calls, it was revealed that 12% of the individuals on the list were not citizens.
Despite filling out forms and providing information as directed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the situation has not yet been fully resolved. An executive level review has been initiated by the DHS, indicating that the matter is being taken seriously.
Furthermore, senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst have also shown interest in ensuring election integrity data is properly reviewed. As the situation continues to unfold, the federal government ultimately has control over the next steps to be taken.
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Photo credit www.weareiowa.com