Johnson County is working to confirm the citizenship of contested registered voters

JOHNSON COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – On Thursday afternoon, Johnson County officials said they had confirmed the U.S. citizenship of several dozen people on Secretary Paul Pate’s list of presumed aliens.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said the audit found about 2,200 voters who he believed identified as foreigners, some of whom had already voted. Pate said he used Iowa Department of Transportation data to find noncitizens who voted. However, within days of this announcement, several county auditors determined that the names provided by the Secretary of State were legal U.S. citizens.

ACLU of Iowa he filed a lawsuit late Wednesday evening, seeking to block that challenge.

Johnson County Auditor Erin Shane says local officials are working on a list of 295 alleged non-citizens registered to vote in Johnson County. Johnson County sent a letter to each person to notify them of the challenge and instruct them on how to make sure their vote is counted.

So far, they have confirmed citizenship for 63 people. Johnson County officials say they believe people with confirmed citizenship will be able to vote with a regular ballot.

One person was referred to law enforcement authorities to obtain additional clarifications and check whether he or she was eligible to vote.

“We still have 232 people left to confirm and unfortunately this comes at a time when our office is in its busiest season,” Shane says in a statement. “People who have received our letters come to our office with a range of emotions, from disappointment to understandable anger. One person came yesterday to prove their citizenship and, along with their naturalization papers, showed us letters they received seven years ago from Senator Joni Ernst and then US Representative Dave Loebsack congratulating them on their citizenship. They didn’t understand how something like this could happen.”