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IN THE NEWS...
Courtesy:
Marshalltown Times-Republican
- June 30, 2006
By KEN BLACK - Marshalltown Times- Republican
6/30/06
Democratic candidate for secretary of state Michael Mauro
began his push to the general election in the fall with a
stop in Marshalltown Tuesday.
Mauro discussed the importance of ensuring that everyone had
the opportunity to vote and defended the way voting has
taken place in Iowa in recent years.
"We don't have a history of any prosecutions because of
someone voting illegally or improperly," he said. "What we
have right now works."
Some in the state have questioned why voters are not
required to provide identification cards of some type to
prove they are who they say they are. Mauro said that while
showing identification may be easy for the vast majority of
Iowans, some may have a harder time with it. They may be
disabled or even homeless.
Mauro argued that life circumstances should not make a
person a disenfranchised voter.
At the same time, he left some opening for the opportunity
of a voter identification system.
However, he said he could only see such a system working if
the state came up with an identification card of some sort
that was available to voters at no charge.
Also, he noted there is nothing illegal about a poll worker
asking for an identification card currently, though it is
not required. Most poll workers in the state do not because
it is not required, though some may if there is an apparent
discrepancy.
"There is a section of the code that allows an election
official to ask for an ID card," he said.
Absentee ballots have also gained in popularity over the
years. Nearly a third of the ballots cast in recent
elections in Iowa have been through the absentee process,
according to Mauro. The secretary of state hopeful noted the
process "creates issues" but said fraud has never been
proven.
"It's something that's caught on around the nation, both
with Democrats and Republicans," he said. "It does work and
there are safeguards in place to make it work."
Mauro said the issue with absentee balloting is also one of
accessibility. |
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