Statewide Iowa — Two Democrats have announced they intend to try to unseat Republican Secretary of State Paul Pate in 2022.
Both were speakers this weekend at Polk County Democrats Steak Fry. Clinton County Auditor Eric Van Lancker is in the middle of his fourth term as commissioner of elections in Clinton County.
Van Lancker accuses Republican lawmakers of implementing what he calls “ugly stuff” to try to undermine confidence in elections.
According to Van Lancker, some mail-in ballots will go uncounted due to an election law change Republicans passed this year.
Joel Miller has been Linn County Auditor for more than 14 years.
Miller criticizes Republican lawmakers for cutting the early voting period in half since 2016 and for limiting every Iowa county to having just one drop box for absentee ballots.
Miller reminded the crowd that he was sued for defying Secretary of State Paul Pate’s order not to mail out absentee ballot request forms that included the voter’s registration number and home address.
Miller lost that lawsuit. During a speech in Coralville Saturday, Pate touted Iowa’s voter ID law and criticized the Freedom to Vote bill Senate Democrats have drafted.
Pate did not mention the two Iowa Democrats who’ve announced they hope to challenge him in 2022. Pate urged his fellow Republicans to remember to vote this November in city and school board elections.
Pate was among the speakers at the 2022 campaign kick-off for Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks reelection.
