Another republican attempt to suppress the vote, foiled, for now!
Iowa judge freezes voter-eligibility rules amid suit
By Michael Winter, USA TODAY
An Iowa judge today froze emergency rules to verify the eligibility of about 3,500 voters until a lawsuit is resolved.
Polk County District Judge Mary Pat Gunderson issued a temporary injunction against the two rules, which Secretary of State Matt Schultz enacted in July, says the Des Moines Register.
After comparing voter rolls with the Iowa Transportation Department's a list of those with driver's licenses, Schultz, a Republican, said in a statement responding to the lawsuit that he "determined that more than 3,500 foreign nationals registered to vote in Iowa since 2008, and about 1,200 voted in the 2010 general election."
One new rule would compare the voter rolls with a federal immigration database, while the other would allow for unsworn allegations of voter fraud against an individual.
Last month, the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa and League of United Latin American Citizens of Iowa sued to block the rules.
Without ruling on the merits of the lawsuit, Gunderson said her temporary injunction caused less potential harm than possibly disqualifying qualified voters.
The rules "have in fact created confusion and mistrust in the voter registration process," she wrote, and "have created fear that new citizens will lose their right to vote and/or be charged with a felony and caused some qualified voters to feel deterred from even registering to vote."
more:
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2012/09/14/iowa-voter-eligibility-rules/70000391/1
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