Iowans deserve to be able to vote and they deserve to have their vote protected. Every illegal vote negatively affects Iowa’s elections by canceling out your vote. Iowa Code Section 39A.1 states, “It is the intent of the general assembly that offenses with the greatest potential to affect the election process be vigorously prosecuted and strong punishment meted out through the imposition of felony sanctions.”
Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz rejects the media’s false choice between promoting voter turnout or protecting the integrity of elections:
The fact is we can and must do both.
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The real question, though, is why the Iowa Poll would present this as a false choice. No Iowan would want an eligible voter to be blocked from voting, but at the same time, no Iowan would raise their hand asking to have their vote canceled out by an illegal vote.
There’s no reason you can’t increase voter turnout while still protecting Iowans’ votes, and we have.