Edited Release
03/21/25
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate announced that his office has completed additional audits of Iowa’s voter registration lists and identified 277 confirmed noncitizens who have voted or are registered to vote.
According to a release from Pate’s office, after gaining access to the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program, the agency compared its data with the self-reported noncitizen data received from the Iowa Department of Transportation last fall. Access to the SAVE program has allowed the Iowa Secretary of State’s office to significantly reduce the former estimate of 2,186 potential noncitizens to 277 confirmed noncitizens. That is approximately 12% of the 2,186 individuals.
Further review found that 35 noncitizens cast ballots that were ultimately counted in the 2024 General Election and 5 noncitizens attempted to cast ballots that were rejected. Of the 35, 18 cast ballots at the polls, 13 voted absentee, and 2 submitted provisional ballots.
The names of the noncitizens will be turned over to the Iowa Attorney General’s Office and Iowa Department of Public Safety for investigation and next steps.
The Iowa Legislature is currently considering proposals from the Secretary of State’s office on voter list maintenance. If the legislation passes, the Secretary of State’s office would be allowed to verify citizenship at the point of registration.