News

You might be surprised to learn that the upcoming city-school election may have a bigger impact on your daily life than who is elected president, senator, or governor. While races for those higher offices receive greater attention, the locally elected officials play a more direct and immediate role in your community.

I believe voting is the best way to make your voice heard and make a difference in society. The United States of America is the greatest and freest country in the world because we give citizens the power to choose their elected leaders and form of government. As Abraham Lincoln famously said in his Gettysburg Address, we are a “government of the people, by the people, for the people”.

Read More

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate conducted a series of meetings in eastern Iowa this week to promote Safe at Home, an address confidentiality program that provides protection for survivors of domestic violence, sexual abuse, trafficking, stalking and assault.

The meetings coincide with Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which is held annually in October, the office of the Secretary of State said this week.

Read More

Pate met with the Linn County Sheriff and area police chiefs to talk about resources and help for people in abusive relationships. His office runs the Safe at Home program. It provides protection for survivors of domestic violence, sexual abuse, and stalking, giving victims the ability to keep their information confidential, like their mailing address, driver’s license info, and other forms of identity.

The connection to Pate’s better-known duties as Iowa’s chief elections officer has to do with voter registration, which is a public record.

Read More

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate kicked off a three-day tour of promoting a six-year-old statewide domestic violence program in Cedar Rapids Monday.

Read More

DES MOINES, Iowa (Iowa’s News Now) — Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate kicked off his annual drive to register Iowa high school students to vote on Tuesday through the Carrie Chapman Catt Award initiative.

Every school in Iowa that registers at least 90 percent of their eligible students to vote will receive the award, named after the Iowan who was a national leader in the women’s suffrage movement. Last year, 22 schools won the award.

Read More

Secretary of State Paul Pate said Thursday that Iowa can’t let up on cybersecurity efforts despite a lack of tampering in the state’s 2020 elections.

Pate joined cybersecurity and misinformation experts Thursday for a conference on election cybersecurity. He reported that the 2020 election went “fairly smoothly” in Iowa. All 99 Iowa counties had a 100% match between vote tabulators and a hand count audit from the November 2020 election, he said.

Read More

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate has announced that survivors of assault are now eligible to enroll in the Safe at Home address confidentiality program overseen by his office.

Previously, participants included survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, trafficking, and stalking. The expansion of the program is part of a new law signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds on June 17.

Read More

An election bill working through the U.S. Congress is “expensive, unnecessary (and) a huge federal overreach,” according to two Iowa Republican leaders.

The bill, S.1, is a sweeping, 818-page election law that would overrule voting restrictions in many states. The bill would require states meet a standardized set of rules for ballot access, allow online voter registration and registration at state agencies, expand early voting to 15 days minimum, mandate ballot drop boxes based on population, forbid gerrymandering and create new reporting requirements and restrictions on campaign donations.

Read More

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate announced Wednesday that Iowa broke its record for a primary election with how many voters participated in Tuesday’s primary.

More than 500,000 people cast ballots, early or in-person, for the election.

“The credit goes to Iowa voters, poll workers, and county auditors,” Secretary Pate said. “Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and protests going on across the state, Iowans made their voices heard in record numbers. I am so proud of everyone who participated and the people behind the scenes in all 99 counties that made it happen. I also want to thank Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the Iowa National Guard for delivering masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer to the counties so Iowans could vote safely at the polls.”

Read More

Iowa has one of the best election systems in the country. We consistently rank among the top 10 states for voter registration and participation. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, we set turnout records in 2020 for the June primary and November general election. Now, politicians in Washington, D.C. want to dictate to Iowa and every other state how to run elections.

Read More