DES MOINES – A member of the Iowa Senate is asking a committee of the U.S. Senate to help resolve questions about the alleged misuse of federal funds by Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz.
A letter from State Senator Tom Courtney of Burlington asks the leaders of the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Regulations to confirm new Commissioners to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. All four posts on the Commission are currently vacant. Because it lacks a quorum, the Commission has been unable to respond to this April 19, 2013, question posed by its own Inspector General:
“Are the services being provided by the Iowa Department of Public Safety to the Iowa Secretary of State allowable charges to HAVA funds provided to the State of Iowa by the Election Assistance Commission?”
“Iowa Secretary of State Schultz is setting a terrible example by misusing federal dollars intended to help voters vote,” said Courtney.
Last month, the office of Iowa State Auditor Mary Mosiman released the results of a six-month investigation of the possible misuse of almost $300,000 in federal Help America Vote Act funds by Secretary Schultz. The federal dollars, intended for “educating voters concerning voting procedures, voting rights and voting technology” were used instead for nearly fruitless criminal investigations.
The report by Iowa’s State Auditor concluded that Secretary Schultz should be prepared to repay the federal dollars in the event that the U.S. Election Assistance Commission finds against him.
In his January 8th letter to U.S. Senators Charles Schumer of New York and Pat Roberts of Kansas, Courtney wrote:
“Without action by your Committee, Iowa Secretary of State Schultz is free to thumb his nose at taxpayers and the currently toothless federal watchdog – the U.S. Election Assistance Committee – because he knows there are virtually no limitations on how he spends the funds. In fact, the Secretary of State has already indicated that he has no plans to develop the repayment plan recommended by the State Auditor.”
Courtney’s letter also stated that an independent investigation would quickly reveal that:
· Neither the State of Iowa’s ‘Help America Vote Act State Plan’ adopted on July 17, 2003, nor amendments submitted on June 9, 2005, and September 10, 2008, includes the use of HAVA funds to pay the salary and operational costs of a criminal investigator to search for voter fraud.
· There is no evidence that the Secretary of State has requested through the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to amend Iowa’s state plan to use the HAVA funds to pay the salary and operational costs of a criminal investigator.
· Hiring a criminal investigator does not fall under prescribed uses of HAVA funds (Section 101 of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 states that funds may be used for ‘educating voters concerning voting procedures, voting rights and voting technology.
In addition to the misuse of Help America Vote Act dollars, Secretary of State Schultz’s office is also being sued in federal court over the charge that his investigations intimidate eligible voters, especially those who have recently become U.S. citizens, from registering to vote or going to the polls.
· The December 18, 2013, report from the State Auditor to the Secretary of State
