Secretary of State

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird announced Monday that Iowa, alongside three other states, has reached a settlement agreement allowing state officials to access a federal immigration database to verify citizenship status of voters for the next 20 years.

Thirty-five ballots cast by non-U.S. citizens were counted in Iowa’s 2024 general election, according to Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate. He said 277 noncitizens were registered to vote, after initially flagging more than 2,000 people as possible noncitizens.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate and Attorney General Brenna Bird sued the Biden administration Tuesday because federal officials declined to provide the state with a list of noncitizens registered to vote shortly before the election.

A panel made up of five of Iowa’s statewide elected officials voted unanimously Monday to certify the state’s 2024 election results, finalizing the counting of Iowans’ votes.

A federal judge ruled Sunday that Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate can continue with his plan to challenge the ballots of voters who appear on a flawed list of more than 2,000 people, most of whom were wrongly flagged as potential noncitizens.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said Tuesday he referred alleged noncitizens who voted in past elections for criminal prosecution, and he told county auditors to require about 2,000 people who may be citizens to vote a provisional ballot in this election.