U.S. District Judge Stephen Locher ruled in favor of Iowa's initiative to scrutinize voter registrations flagged as potentially non-citizen.
This ruling, delivered Sunday, permits Iowa officials to continue investigating and challenging the validity of ballots cast by individuals on the state's "Questionable registrations" list-a measure aimed at ensuring illegal votes don't dilute the voice of lawful citizens.
Judge Locher, appointed by Joe Biden, dismissed arguments from the American Civil Liberties Union that the voter registration review threatens newly naturalized citizens' voting rights, according to AP. Instead, the judge underscored Iowa's obligation to preserve the integrity of its electoral process, particularly following a U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing similar voter roll clean-ups in Virginia.
Republican Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds lauded the ruling, stating, "A U.S. district judge just denied an attempt to block challenge of non-citizen registered voters - a win for election integrity! We encourage all citizens to vote, and we will enforce the law to ensure those votes aren't cancelled out by illegal votes from non-citizens."
U.S. elections are for U.S. citizens, and ensuring only eligible voters participate in lowa's election process is essential to protecting the integrity of the vote.
The role of lowa Secretary of State requires balance - ensuring that on one hand, every eligible voter is able to cast their ballot while also ensuring that only eligible voters participate in lowa elections.
As stated in the official ruling, it is undisputed that there are a number of noncitizens who are registered to vote, and awarding the injunction would force local election officials to permit those individuals to vote.
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