Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Friday 29 June 2018
At least 1,198 Iowa primary voters didn't show IDs

By RYAN J. FOLEY and BAR- isn't an indicator that the
BARA RODRIGUEZ law will disenfranchise vot-
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — ers in the future. He said
Nearly 1 percent of voters the oath is helping to edu-
in Iowa's largest counties cate voters about the new
did not show identification identifications requirement
during the June 5 primary during 2018 so that by the
under a new state law, time of the 2020 presiden-
prompting critics to warn tial elections they will be
that the requirement could familiar.
disenfranchise some voters Hall said the June primary
in elections beginning next went smoothly, writing in an
year. email: "The real story from
At least 1,198 voters signed the 2018 Primary Election, is
oaths affirming their identi- that there is no story."
ties because they did not Statewide data on the
have, or refused to show a number of oath signers
driver's license or other ID wasn't available because
accepted under the law, counties weren't required
according to figures pro- to track that information.
vided to The Associated The AP requested the data
Press by the 10 counties from the 10 counties that
with the highest turnout. In this Dec. 19, 2016, file photo, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate collects ballots during Iowa's had the most primary vot-
They accounted for 0.83 Electoral College vote at the Statehouse in Des Moines, Iowa. ers, which collectively ac-
percent of 144,000 ballots Associated Press counted for more than half
cast for which the data was of the votes cast statewide.
collected. November election, which "These findings help dem- disenfranchised by the re- Nine counties provided
The primary was the first features competitive races onstrate that the best and quirement in the future. "It's the data while Linn County
statewide election in which for governor and at least easiest path to (protect another way of limiting who only had numbers covering
pre-registered voters were two Republican-held U.S. voting rights) is to keep an gets to vote," Robbins said. about half of its electorate.
asked to show a state-is- House seats. affidavit in place as a safe- In 2019, voters without IDs The highest percentage of
sued ID, passport, military But in 2019 when there will guard for those qualified will be allowed to have oth- voters who signed oaths
or veteran ID or free voter be local races, the option voters who don't have a er registered voters, such as was in Johnson County and
card before casting ballots, of signing an oath will go needed ID," she said. a spouse or neighbor ac- Story County, home to the
under the law approved by away. Poll worker Linda Rob- companying the person, state's two largest universi-
the Republican-controlled Elections officials said that bins, 66, said several vot- attest to their identity. Oth- ties, and fast-growing Dal-
Legislature last year. Previ- some of the oath signers ers signed oaths at her erwise, they will be required las County outside of Des
ously, those voters only had had IDs but were protest- precinct in Epworth in to cast provisional ballots Moines. Voters didn't have
to give their names and ing the new requirement to Dubuque County be- that would be counted to give a reason for signing
addresses to poll workers. show them. Even account- cause they lacked IDs. only if they take steps to es- oaths, making it impossible
As part of a gradual rollout ing for that possibility, the She recalled one of them tablish proof of their identi- to know how many did so
of the new law, voters with- numbers gathered by AP was a young woman who ties by the next Monday at in protest. Deidre DeJear,
out IDs in 2018 are being "are a good way to gauge stopped to cast her ballot noon. Kevin Hall, spokes- a Democrat who is running
allowed to sign an "Oath the disenfranchisement while out jogging, and oth- man for Iowa Secretary of against Pate, said the new
of Identification" attesting that would occur without ers were people who simply State Paul Pate, a Republi- law creates "tedious, un-
that they are who they say an affidavit option," said said they left IDs at home. can who has championed necessary barriers" that she
they are. The oath option ACLU attorney Rita Bettis, a Robbins said she worried the law, said the number of said she is working to com-
will remain available in the critic of the new law. some of those voters will be oath signers in the primary bat by educating voters.q