Iowa’s Secretary of State says even though the state has some of the heaviest voter participation in the country, he’s determined to make sure everyone who wishes to cast a ballot has the opportunity.
Paul Pate hosted a roundtable with poll workers at the Marion County Public Health Department on Friday; he says his office wants to ensure all citizens have the chance to vote.
He notes such measures as curbside voting for those unable to enter the polls; the Safe at Home program, keeping the addresses of domestic violence victims confidential; and even an effort to make college ID cards acceptable as voter identification.
Pate tells KNIA/KRLS News his office wants to enable as many people as possible get the opportunity to vote.
“We want everyone to be empowered, to be a voter; that’s why our side of it, meaning the government side is, we want to ensure a clear path with no obstacles so they can get out there and vote,” Pate says. “It’s about participation and integrity; those aren’t mutually exclusive — we try to balance the two out. We want you to be a voter, and we want to assure the voters that only eligible voters are the ones who get to cast a ballot in Iowa.”
Pate says his office is continually working on cyber protection for the state’s balloting system; he says there’s no evidence of any Russian penetration into the state election computers, and notes the greater threat comes from non-government hackers — mainly those involved in identity theft, and those who hack in to prove they can do it.