Latest news with #PaulPate
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iowa Supreme Court overturns ruling, blocks non-English voting materials
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Supreme Court ruled against the League of United Latin American Citizens and overturned a district ruling allowing non-English voting materials. The 2002 'English-only' law requires all official documents to be in English unless necessary to maintain a person's Constitutional rights. In 2008, a district court ruled this applied to election materials, like ballots, and placed a permanent injunction barring the state from using non-English materials. Kimballton water tested safe following days of uncertainty LULAC sought to overturn that ruling a sued Secretary of State Paul Pate in 2021. A district court sided with LULAC in 2023, dissolving the injunction and allowing voting materials in other languages. Pate then appealed the ruling. On Friday, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that LULAC lacked standing in the case and said there was no proof that the organization faced a direct injury to its legal rights. Following the ruling, Pate released a statement saying Iowa would continue to follow federal standards. This includes providing translated versions of official documents and forms in areas where certain population thresholds have been met. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iowa Supreme Court rejects LULAC's lawsuit over English-only voting materials
(Main photo by simpson33 via iStock / Getty Images Plus; seal courtesy State of Iowa) The Iowa Supreme Court has reversed a district court decision that cleared the way for election officials to distribute voter materials in languages other than English. Without directly addressing the merits of Iowa's law restricting the dissemination of government records in languages other than English, the court found that the League of United Latin American Citizens of Iowa lacked standing to bring its lawsuit challenging the state's application of the English Language Reaffirmation Act. Joe Enriquez Henry, president of LULAC Council #307, said he was disappointed in the court's decision. 'There are over 50,000 registered voters in the state of Iowa whose primary language is not English,' Henry said. 'This issue has an impact not only on Latinos but other ethnic groups and new citizens. This is a constitutional issue. You know, the right to vote is a constitutional issue, and language should never be a barrier to exercising that right. So, for the Supreme Court to say we lack standing to bring this case is totally wrong.' Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said in a statement: 'I appreciate the court's thoughtful consideration of this case. Today's ruling affirms our efforts to administer Iowa election laws securely, fairly, and in accordance with state and federal laws. We remain committed to maintaining a careful balance between protecting election integrity and supporting voter participation among all eligible Iowa voters.' Friday's ruling is tied to a 2007 case in which LULAC was not a party. In that case, a group that included then-U.S. Rep. Steve King, four county auditors, three state legislators and U.S. English Only Inc. filed a lawsuit against Iowa's secretary of state and the Iowa Voter Registration Commission challenging the provision of voter registration forms in languages other than English. The district court dismissed the claims of everyone but the county auditors, ruling only they had the standing to challenge the practice, and in 2008 ruled in favor of the auditors, finding that the Iowa English Language Reaffirmation Act unambiguously required all official government documents to be in English. While noting that language barriers could 'serve as an impediment to voting' and that exceptions outlined in the law 'might justify the use of non-English voter registration forms,' the judge noted that the secretary of state had never raised that argument. The district court enjoined the secretary of state and the Iowa Voter Registration Commission 'from using languages other than English in the official voter registration forms of this state.' Thirteen years later, in 2021, LULAC sued Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, the Iowa Voter Registration Commission, and several county auditors, arguing the law, correctly interpreted, allowed for the dissemination of voting materials in languages other than English. The district court ultimately granted LULAC's requests to dissolve the 2008 injunction. Pate's office appealed, and in addressing the matter, the Iowa Supreme Court said the primary question it faced was whether LULAC had standing to seek dissolution of the 13-year-old permanent injunction issued in the initial case and to seek a court interpretation of a law that did not cause any injury to LULAC itself. In its ruling Friday, the justices concluded the district court's 2008 decision 'had no effect on LULAC's rights, status, or legal relations … LULAC asks us to direct Secretary Pate to administer the law as LULAC wishes and to allow county officials to have the discretion to administer the law as LULAC wishes. In effect, LULAC is asking the judiciary to exercise the executive functions of the government at LULAC's behest. This the court cannot do.' As for LULAC's argument that it had standing in the case due to the injury it suffered by having to spend money translating documents for members, the justices noted that the U.S. Supreme Court has previously ruled that a litigant 'cannot spend its way into standing simply by expending money' in response to a law it is attempting challenge. In finding that LULAC lacked standing to bring its lawsuit, the justices reversed the rulings of the district court and remanded the case back to district court for an order of dismissal. All of the justices concurred in the opinion, except for Justices Thomas D. Waterman and Edward M. Mansfield, who did not take part. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Woodbury County Auditor urging voters to update registration
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — The Woodbury County Auditor is urging voters to update their voter registration. County Auditor Michelle Skaff and Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate are sending alerts to residents that some Woodbury County residents may be receiving mailers in the next few weeks as a reminder to update their registration. The mailers will include a notice that they are doing voter registration list maintenance and are in the middle of the auditing process. The notices are called 'No Activity' notices. The mailers are being sent in compliance with the National Voter Registration Act, which requires contact to be made with voters in order to ensure that their information is accurate and up to date. Candidate townhall for North Sioux City's new governing body 'Ongoing voter registration list audits and maintenance processes are critical to keeping Iowa voter rolls clean and accurate,' Pate said. 'While we encourage Iowans to keep their voter registrations up-to-date, Iowa's Same-Day Voter Registration safeguard ensures Iowans can register and vote on Election Day—ensuring every eligible voter has the opportunity to cast a ballot.' Voters that find themselves in 'inactive' status can return to 'active status by requesting an absentee ballot, voting in an election, re-regsitering, or updating their registration. Voters who have questions about their voter registration status can reach out to the Woodbury County Auditor's office at 712-279-6465 or visit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iowa review finds 35 noncitizens voted last fall. That is a tiny fraction of the ballots cast
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A review of Iowa's voter rolls found 35 people who are not U.S. citizens were among more than 1.6 million Iowa voters who cast ballots in the 2024 general election, despite them being ineligible to vote. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said Thursday that his office also identified 277 noncitizens who were registered to vote, a small percentage of the nearly 2.3 million registered voters. Voting by people who are not U.S. citizens is illegal in federal elections, and there is not evidence that it is occurring in large numbers. State reviews, like Iowa's, show it is rare for noncitizens to register to vote and even rarer that they actually cast a ballot. Pate has regularly reminded Iowans that the state's laws protect the integrity of the elections but that even one instance of a noncitizen voting illegally is too many. The office will refer the new information to the state Department of Public Safety and the Attorney General for further investigation and potential prosecution. The new numbers are also a fraction of the original number — 2,176 — that Pate's office identified last year, just two weeks before the Nov. 5 election, after comparing the state's voter rolls to a list of people who self-reported as noncitizens to the Iowa Department of Transportation. Pate's office said that was the DOT information was the best source available to them at the time because they did not have access to federal immigration records, which they do now. Four voters and a Hispanic civil rights group sued Pate at the time, alleging he infringed upon their rights when he directed election workers to challenge their ballots and hoping the court would block that. A federal judge allowed Iowa to continue. Last October, the vast majority of the more than 2,000 individuals Pate's office identified had told the DOT that they are not citizens but subsequently registered to vote or voted. Because they may have become naturalized citizens in the lapsed time, Pate's office told county elections officials to challenge their ballots and have them cast a provisional ballot instead. Voters had a specific amount of time to 'cure' provisional ballots, in this case by providing proof that they are naturalized citizens. The review also found five noncitizens that cast a ballot that was ultimately rejected by county review boards. The issue of noncitizens voting was highlighted by Republican candidates and lawmakers nationally, and former President Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested without evidence that Democrats are encouraging illegal migration to the U.S. so they could register the newcomers to vote. Iowa's voter registration form asks whether a person is a U.S. citizen and requires potential voters to sign a statement saying they are citizens, warning them that if they lie, they can be convicted of a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.
Associated Press
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Iowa review finds 35 noncitizens voted last fall. That is a tiny fraction of the ballots cast
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A review of Iowa's voter rolls found 35 people who are not U.S. citizens were among more than 1.6 million Iowa voters who cast ballots in the 2024 general election, despite them being ineligible to vote. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said Thursday that his office also identified 277 noncitizens who were registered to vote, a small percentage of the nearly 2.3 million registered voters. Voting by people who are not U.S. citizens is illegal in federal elections, and there is not evidence that it is occurring in large numbers. State reviews, like Iowa's, show it is rare for noncitizens to register to vote and even rarer that they actually cast a ballot. Pate has regularly reminded Iowans that the state's laws protect the integrity of the elections but that even one instance of a noncitizen voting illegally is too many. The office will refer the new information to the state Department of Public Safety and the Attorney General for further investigation and potential prosecution. The new numbers are also a fraction of the original number — 2,176 — that Pate's office identified last year, just two weeks before the Nov. 5 election, after comparing the state's voter rolls to a list of people who self-reported as noncitizens to the Iowa Department of Transportation. Pate's office said that was the DOT information was the best source available to them at the time because they did not have access to federal immigration records, which they do now. Four voters and a Hispanic civil rights group sued Pate at the time, alleging he infringed upon their rights when he directed election workers to challenge their ballots and hoping the court would block that. A federal judge allowed Iowa to continue. Last October, the vast majority of the more than 2,000 individuals Pate's office identified had told the DOT that they are not citizens but subsequently registered to vote or voted. Because they may have become naturalized citizens in the lapsed time, Pate's office told county elections officials to challenge their ballots and have them cast a provisional ballot instead. Voters had a specific amount of time to 'cure' provisional ballots, in this case by providing proof that they are naturalized citizens. The review also found five noncitizens that cast a ballot that was ultimately rejected by county review boards. The issue of noncitizens voting was highlighted by Republican candidates and lawmakers nationally, and former President Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested without evidence that Democrats are encouraging illegal migration to the U.S. so they could register the newcomers to vote. Iowa's voter registration form asks whether a person is a U.S. citizen and requires potential voters to sign a statement saying they are citizens, warning them that if they lie, they can be convicted of a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.
