Iowa judge backs state's voter verification process, raising eyebrows
Federal court allows Iowa to check citizenship status of hundreds of registered voters. The ruling affects newly-naturalized citizens despite objections from civil rights groups
In a recent Des-Moines court decision‚ federal judge Stephen Locher gave Iowa the go-ahead to keep checking voters citizenship status. The ruling (which came just days ago) lets the state look into hundreds of voter registrations
The American Civil-Liberties Union brought the case to court representing four newly-naturalized citizens and the League of Latin-American Citizens of Iowa; their names were on the states list of registrations to check. The civil-rights groups say this process might affect peoples right to vote — especially those who recently became U.S citizens
Judge Locher‚ who got his position through President Bidens pick‚ didnt agree with the arguments against the states actions: his decision supports Iowas methods to verify voter status. The verification system looks at hundreds of registrations that need a second look‚ focusing on citizenship proof
The ruling shows how states handle voter-list management; this creates discussions about finding the right way to keep voter rolls accurate without making it hard for legal voters to take part in elections
