By The CR Gazette Editorial Board
—-
Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz is hunting for evidence of voter fraud in Iowa. As commissioner of elections, that’s his prerogative. And if he uncovers problems in need of fixing, all the better.
But we don’t believe Schultz should be playing Lone Ranger with an issue as important as voting rights.
Schultz is cross-matching records of foreigners who have Iowa driving permits with voter registration data to see if any noncitizens are unlawfully registered to vote. He’s identified about 1,000 names that will now be checked against a federal list of naturalized citizens. Red-flagged names will be removed from voter roles.
We support efforts to keep noncitizens from voting, although we doubt the problem is widespread. What we don’t support is Schultz’s unilateral decision to make “emergency” rule changes to accommodate this digging, sidestepping legislative oversight and public input. That action has resulted in a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union and the League of United Latin American Citizens. And when the Legislature’s Administrative Rules Review Committee asked Schultz to appear and explain his actions, he was a no-show.
It’s not only legislators left in the dark. County auditors from both parties have complained that Schultz’s office hasn’t informed them of these changes, or that a Division of Criminal Investigation agent has been assigned to investigate potential fraud. Elected local officials on the voting front lines should know about rule changes and investigations that will impact their offices.
We’ve been supportive of Schutz’s efforts to safeguard voting and to require voters to show a photo ID at the polls, so long as that ID is free of charge and easy to get. But we do not support his rush to make significant rules changes ahead of the fall election or his refusal to explain his objectives to lawmakers. He is the commissioner of elections, but that does not excuse him from reasonable scrutiny.
Removing names from voter roles is no small matter. Any changes to that process should be made through the formal rule-making process, which includes a public hearing and legislative oversight. We see no emergency that should short circuit that process.
If unlawful voting exists, we want it discovered. Hopefully, the DCI expertise will provide an answer not tainted by partisan politics.
We’re also concerned that too few Iowans show up to cast votes in elections with huge consequences for their communities. We’d like to see Schultz address that issue with as much zeal as he chases fraud.
