Iowa’s two major party candidates for the state’s top elections post are staking out contrasting views on how easy it should be to vote.
Candidates for Secretary of State clashed in a taping of Iowa Public Television’s Iowa Press.
As you may expect, Democrat Brad Anderson, a Des Moines small business owner, and Republican Paul Pate who held the secretary of state’s office before, disagree on requiring photo identification to vote. But the differences don’t stop there. Pate is troubled that Iowa law allows a third party to pick up a completed absentee ballot from a voter and deliver it to the county auditor.
“This is a problem that's been here for some time. The U.S. attorney's office here was investigating some serious lines of that fraud,” Pate says.
But Anderson says the law helps people vote if they’ve completed a ballot and it’s too late to mail it.
“I have zero tolerance when it comes to any election misconduct, but I disagree with Paul here on trying to make it harder for people to vote,” Anderson says.
Pate says election officials can come to your home if you need help voting. Anderson also wants Iowans to be able to register one-time and then vote absentee in all upcoming elections. Pate says county auditors aren’t ready for that.