Des Moines, Iowa — A Polk County judge has put part of the state’s new voter ID law on hold, and Iowa’s Secretary Of State says he will appeal.
The ruling impacts absentee ballots by putting a temporary hold on a change that cut the time to file an absentee ballot before an election from 40 to 29 days. The ruling also puts the voter verification number for an absentee ballot request on hold and new signature-matching requirements won’t be enforced.
Judge Karen Ramono’s ruling says the state has not shown how the new law would prevent voter fraud. The judge wants further review of the provisions.
The League of United Latin American Citizens sued the state and is hoping to have the case resolved before the November elections.
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate says he will appeal the ruling, saying, “I am disappointed to learn a temporary injunction was placed on some parts of Iowa’s Election Modernization and Integrity Act today. We will be appealing this decision to the Iowa Supreme Court immediately.”
Pate’s statement goes on to say, “Out-of-state dark money and Washington, D.C. lawyers have come into Iowa to try to overturn our election laws. The people of Iowa overwhelmingly support voter ID and their elected representatives enacted a law that makes it easy to vote, but hard to cheat. My office has worked diligently with organizations across the state, including the plaintiffs in this case, to inform all Iowans about the provisions of this new law. The plaintiffs have not shown a single Iowan has been disenfranchised by this bill.”
