The lawsuit seeks to block Iowa’s challenge to the voter’s citizenship question

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The ACLU has filed a lawsuit trying to prevent the Iowa Secretary of State from questioning the citizenship of about 2,200 voters just days before Election Day.

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.

Lawsuit acts on behalf of several registered voters on the roll and appoints both the Secretary of State, county auditors, and election commissioners for Polk, Johnson, Scott, Pottawattamie, and Winneshiek counties. He claims that Pate “knows better” and that Pate’s list is “fatally flawed” and includes mostly legal U.S. citizens trying to vote. He argues that the list exposes voters to unwanted investigations by law enforcement and constitutes a form of voter intimidation.

It cites several examples, including Dr. Orcun Selcuk of Winneshiek County, who registered to vote the day he became a U.S. citizen on Nov. 7, 2023. But the lawsuit claims he is on the Secretary of State’s list and “wrongly was subjected to an investigation and an electoral challenge for following the law and exercising his right to vote.”

The lawsuit also says the list intimidates voters who may not even be on it, making them wonder whether they can legally vote. This includes Polk County’s Tingting Zehn, who says neither the Secretary of State nor the County Auditor will disclose whether she is on the contested voter list.

Pate defended his list of voter challenges but acknowledged it may not be accurate due to restrictions in federal law.

“Due to the deadline for issuing driving licenses, some of them were able to obtain citizenship after completing this form. It’s very frustrating. Very frustrating,” he said.

He added that he felt the need to question the voter’s citizenship because of conspiracy theories and questions about the integrity of the election.