Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate announced on Tuesday (October 22) that an audit of the voting records of 2.3 million Iowa voters revealed that over two thousand individuals, claiming to be non-citizens, were registered to vote. These individuals’ names have been handed over to the State Attorney General and they may face prosecution.
According to a report by “6News”, Pate stated, “Voting by non-citizens or registering to vote as a non-citizen is a serious crime and we will work with authorities to ensure that those who break the law face the most severe charges.”
The recent audit of the voting records of 2.3 million voters in Iowa showed that less than 0.1% of registered voters considered themselves non-citizens. Pate’s office identified 2,176 records (0.09% of the total) with issues, with some names of non-citizen voters already transferred to the State Attorney General’s office for potential prosecution.
The audit revealed that 87 individuals claimed not to be citizens but still participated in voting, 67 individuals said they did not vote and are not citizens, while 2,022 individuals admitted they are not citizens but participated in voting or registered to vote.
Earlier this week, Pate stated in a release, “We are referring these individuals’ names to the Iowa Attorney General and the Iowa Department of Public Safety for possible prosecution.”
Pate also mentioned that his office conducts “regular reviews” of voter registration lists to ensure that registered voters comply with the voting requirements of both the state and the nation.
In his statement, he said, “We have encountered obstacles from the federal government, as have all states in lawsuits involving the Department of Justice and federal agencies. We will collaborate with the Attorney General and the Iowa State Legislature to ensure that the federal government provides us with tools so that we can precisely identify non-citizens before they are able to register and vote in Iowa elections, rather than confirming their identities after non-citizen voting has occurred.”