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Judicial Watch
February 3, 2020
Under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA), Judicial Watch sent notice-of-violation letters to 19 large counties in five states (California, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, and Colorado) that it intends to sue unless the jurisdictions take steps to comply with the law and remove ineligible voter registrations. Section 8 of the National Voter Registration Act requires jurisdictions to take reasonable efforts to remove ineligible registrations from its rolls.
The chart below details the eight Iowa counties’ registration rate percentages:
In addition to the eight listed above, Polk County, Iowa’s largest, has
an unusually high registration rate of 95.9% of total eligible citizen
voting-age population.“Dirty voting rolls can mean dirty elections and
Iowa need to undertake a serious effort to address its voting rolls,”
said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
Judicial Watch is the national leader in enforcing the National Voters Registration Act, which requires states to take reasonable steps to clean their voting rolls.In 2018, the Supreme Court upheld a massive voter roll clean up that resulted from a Judicial Watch settlement of a federal lawsuit with Ohio.California also settled a similar lawsuit with Judicial Watch that last year began the process of removing up to 1.5 million “inactive” names from Los Angeles County voting rolls. Kentucky also began a cleanup of up to 250,00 names last year after it entered into a consent decree to end another Judicial Watch lawsuit.
Judicial Watch Attorney Robert Popper is the director of Judicial Watch’s Election Integrity initiative.
Judicial Watch Statement on Iowa Secretary of State Misleading
about
Accuracy of State’s Registration Rolls
It is shameful that the secretary state of Iowa would mislead Iowans and Americans about the accuracy of the state’s registration rolls.
Judicial Watch’s analysis of Iowa’s state registration rolls is based on official voter registration data provided by Iowa to the federal Election Assistance Commission (EAC) for publication in 2019. Data concerning such registrations must be reported to the EAC by law under federal regulation 11 C.F.R. § 9428.7.
Based on this federal data, Judicial Watch found eight counties with registration rates over 100% of the voting age population. The next reliable report on Iowa’s registration rolls won’t occur until after the November election, as the EAC’s next report will be released in 2021.
The Iowa secretary of state’s release of interim voter registration data further confirms our concerns and shows that five of the eight counties we listed are still over 100%. Nearly three dozen counties have a registration rate over 95% of the voter age population, which is extraordinarily high. Our data has proven to be a strong indicator of voter registration issues and a basis for further inquiry. Based on lawsuits alleging the same voter registration issues, Judicial Watch has obtained three statewide settlement agreements, including a consent decree in the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 2018 and a settlement with Los Angeles County and the State of California in 2019.
California last year began the process of removing up to 1.5 million “inactive” names from Los Angeles County voter rolls. Kentucky also began a cleanup of up to 150,000 names last year. In 2018, the Supreme Court upheld a voter roll clean up in Ohio that resulted from a Judicial Watch settlement. A federal court ordered the State of Maryland to produce voter list data for its largest county based on the work of Judicial Watch. Our approach has survived federal court scrutiny in four states.
Iowa’s Secretary of State and local officials need to clean up the election rolls and reassure voters that the state’s election process is being administered in compliance with federal law and common sense.
Judicial Watch
February 3, 2020
Judicial Watch: Eight Iowa Counties Have Total Registration Rates Larger than Eligible Voter Population – at Least 18,658 Extra Names on Iowa Voting Rolls
(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced that eight Iowa counties have more voter registrations than their eligible voting-age population. According to Judicial Watch’s analysis of data released by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) in 2019 and the most recent U.S. Census Bureau’s five-year American Community Survey, eight Iowa counties are on the list of 378 counties nationwide that have more voter registrations than citizens living there who are old enough to vote, i.e., counties where registration rates exceed 100%. These 378 counties combined had about 2.5 million registrations over the 100%-registered mark. In Iowa, there are at least 18,658 “extra names” on the voting rolls in the eight counties at issue.Under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA), Judicial Watch sent notice-of-violation letters to 19 large counties in five states (California, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, and Colorado) that it intends to sue unless the jurisdictions take steps to comply with the law and remove ineligible voter registrations. Section 8 of the National Voter Registration Act requires jurisdictions to take reasonable efforts to remove ineligible registrations from its rolls.
The chart below details the eight Iowa counties’ registration rate percentages:
| Reg Rate | Total Population | |
| Dallas County | 114.8 | 80,864 |
| Johnson County | 107.9 | 144,425 |
| Lyon County | 102.5 | 11,745 |
| Madison County | 102.5 | 15,720 |
| Poweshiek County | 102.1 | 18,428 |
| Dickinson County | 100.9 | 17,000 |
| Scott County | 100.8 | 171,493 |
| Warren County | 100.5 | 48,630 |
Judicial Watch is the national leader in enforcing the National Voters Registration Act, which requires states to take reasonable steps to clean their voting rolls.In 2018, the Supreme Court upheld a massive voter roll clean up that resulted from a Judicial Watch settlement of a federal lawsuit with Ohio.California also settled a similar lawsuit with Judicial Watch that last year began the process of removing up to 1.5 million “inactive” names from Los Angeles County voting rolls. Kentucky also began a cleanup of up to 250,00 names last year after it entered into a consent decree to end another Judicial Watch lawsuit.
Judicial Watch Attorney Robert Popper is the director of Judicial Watch’s Election Integrity initiative.
###
Iowa
Secretary of State
Feburary 3, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Kevin Hall
Communications Director
“It’s unfortunate this organization continues to put out inaccurate data regarding voter registration, and it’s especially disconcerting they chose the day of the Iowa Caucus to do this,” Secretary Pate said. “My office has told this organization, and others who have made similar claims, that their data regarding Iowa is deeply flawed and their false claims erode voter confidence in elections. They should stop this misinformation campaign immediately and quit trying to disenfranchise Iowa voters.”
Iowa’s voter registration statistics are publicly available on the Secretary of State’s website. They are updated monthly. These numbers show that the ones claimed by Judicial Watch in their news release today are patently false.
Along with their false claims about the voter registration numbers, the organization’s claims about Iowa population are greatly underestimated, according to actual data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Iowa Secretary of State’s Office stands with its county auditors and the methods they use to provide clean and accurate voter rolls.
Judicial Watch
Feburary 3, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Kevin Hall
Communications Director
MEDIA RELEASE: Official data rebuts false claims regarding Iowa voter registration
DES MOINES – A Washington D.C.-based organization made false claims today in a news release regarding voter registration information in eight Iowa counties. Judicial Watch claims that total registration numbers in these counties are larger than the eligible voter population. Official data compiled by the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office shows this information is false.“It’s unfortunate this organization continues to put out inaccurate data regarding voter registration, and it’s especially disconcerting they chose the day of the Iowa Caucus to do this,” Secretary Pate said. “My office has told this organization, and others who have made similar claims, that their data regarding Iowa is deeply flawed and their false claims erode voter confidence in elections. They should stop this misinformation campaign immediately and quit trying to disenfranchise Iowa voters.”
Iowa’s voter registration statistics are publicly available on the Secretary of State’s website. They are updated monthly. These numbers show that the ones claimed by Judicial Watch in their news release today are patently false.
Along with their false claims about the voter registration numbers, the organization’s claims about Iowa population are greatly underestimated, according to actual data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Iowa Secretary of State’s Office stands with its county auditors and the methods they use to provide clean and accurate voter rolls.
###
Judicial Watch
February 3, 2020
Judicial Watch Statement on Iowa Secretary of State Misleading
about
Accuracy of State’s Registration Rolls
(Washington, DC) – Judicial
Watch President Tom Fitton made the
following statement regarding the Iowa secretary of state misleading
Americans and state residents about the accuracy of Iowa’s registration
rolls:
It is shameful that the secretary state of Iowa would mislead Iowans and Americans about the accuracy of the state’s registration rolls.
Judicial Watch’s analysis of Iowa’s state registration rolls is based on official voter registration data provided by Iowa to the federal Election Assistance Commission (EAC) for publication in 2019. Data concerning such registrations must be reported to the EAC by law under federal regulation 11 C.F.R. § 9428.7.
Based on this federal data, Judicial Watch found eight counties with registration rates over 100% of the voting age population. The next reliable report on Iowa’s registration rolls won’t occur until after the November election, as the EAC’s next report will be released in 2021.
The Iowa secretary of state’s release of interim voter registration data further confirms our concerns and shows that five of the eight counties we listed are still over 100%. Nearly three dozen counties have a registration rate over 95% of the voter age population, which is extraordinarily high. Our data has proven to be a strong indicator of voter registration issues and a basis for further inquiry. Based on lawsuits alleging the same voter registration issues, Judicial Watch has obtained three statewide settlement agreements, including a consent decree in the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 2018 and a settlement with Los Angeles County and the State of California in 2019.
California last year began the process of removing up to 1.5 million “inactive” names from Los Angeles County voter rolls. Kentucky also began a cleanup of up to 150,000 names last year. In 2018, the Supreme Court upheld a voter roll clean up in Ohio that resulted from a Judicial Watch settlement. A federal court ordered the State of Maryland to produce voter list data for its largest county based on the work of Judicial Watch. Our approach has survived federal court scrutiny in four states.
Iowa’s Secretary of State and local officials need to clean up the election rolls and reassure voters that the state’s election process is being administered in compliance with federal law and common sense.
###
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