Election 2024: Iowa official says overseas voting secure, despite Trump claims
Trump claims, without evidence, Democrats are using the system to cheat
DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau) - Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, a Republican, is reassuring Iowans that the overseas voting system is safe.
The claims involve people who temporarily work overseas. Whether it be an Iowan working in Paris taking in the sights of the Eiffel Tower, or a member of the military stationed at a base abroad. It’s called the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, or UOCAVA.
In a Truth Social post, Former President Donald Trump claims, without evidence, that Democrats plan to use UOCAVA to send millions of ballots via email to overseas voters, and they don’t have to verify citizenship or identity.
Pate says it doesn’t work like that. You must be an American citizen and have a valid ID. “It’s exactly the same as if you were here voting in Des Moines, Iowa or Cedar Rapids. You have to be registered to vote, same way you would do it here, but the difference is they’re going to request the absentee ballot,” he said.
Pate says civilians overseas can have their ballots emailed to them, but they have to send them back in the mail. Only members of the military or civilians living in what the Department of Defense considers an “Imminent Danger Pay Area”, can return their ballot electronically.
“It comes into a secured line at the county auditor, and then that is taken and the poll workers themselves, the Republican and Democrat team, will transpose those on to a regular ballot and be put into the tally for the final election results,” he said.
Pate says UOCAVA is safe and secure.
“I’m real sensitive to those who are questioning the integrity of the UOCAVA process only because these military personnel have fought, put it on the line for us, and I certainly don’t want to see us penalizing them and saying, ‘No, we’re not going to let you vote because we’re afraid somebody might manipulate your ballot,” he said.
Conspiracy theories surrounding UOCAVA point to a press release from the Democratic Party, which announced an initiative to register more overseas voters.
“This election will be won on the margins, and with only three months until the election, every vote matters – including the votes of those who are serving or living abroad. In what will be a close election, the DNC is leaving no stone left unturned to ensure that Kamala Harris will be the next president of the United States,” the release said.
The Party says of the 9,000,000 Americans living overseas, only around 8% are registered to vote.
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Conner Hendricks covers state government and politics for Gray Media-owned stations in Iowa. Email him at conner.hendricks@gray.tv; and follow him on Facebook at Conner Hendricks TV or on X/Twitter @ConnerReports.
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