IN THE NEWS...

Courtesy: Associated Press - May 24, 2006

 

Differences emerge in Secretary of State race

 

By MIKE GLOVER
AP Political Writer

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Candidates for Iowa Secretary of State are offering different approaches to what they see as the role of the state's top election official.

Polk County Auditor Michael Mauro, unopposed for the Democratic nomination, points to his role in boosting voter turnout in the state's largest county, and takes pride with expanding the absentee ballot effort by making request forms available online.

Republicans Chuck Allison and Bob Dopf say they are worried about ballot security and argue that the dramatic expansion in the use of absentee balloting should be slowed or stopped.

The race is coming open because Chet Culver is seeking the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

"Allowing voters to vote without showing the proper identification, expanded use of absentee ballots and satellite polling have reduced accountability," Allison said.

"Under eight years of Chet Culver, I heard a lot about getting out the vote," Dopf said. "I never once heard anything about the security or integrity of the process."

Taking the opposite view, Mauro said he "was one of the first auditors in the nation to make voter registration and absentee ballot requests available on line."

Mauro, a former high school teacher and coach, has been auditor of the state's largest county since 1997, and worked for the Polk County Election Office beginning in 1984. During that tenure, Mauro said, his goal was "making the office more user-friendly for the residents of Polk County."

A key aspect of that, he said, was streamlining the use of absentee ballots. The use of absentee ballots has increased sharply, with more than 50,000 cast in the last election. The use of satellite voting stations has also increased, allowing voters to cast their ballots before election day itself.

Democrats over the years have developed a stronger absentee ballot operation than have Republicans. Even prominent Republicans such as Sen. Charles Grassley have conceded that the gap exists, and Grassley said he's told Republican Party of Iowa officials they need to improve.

Allison is a podiatrist who graduated from Des Moines University, and has a private practice in Des Moines. It is his first bid for public office.

He has also opposed an executive order issued by Gov. Tom Vilsack automatically restoring the voting rights of felons who have served their sentence.

Dopf has served for 23 years as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Iowa, based in Des Moines. One of his jobs was to serve as an elections monitor, looking for any signs of fraud or abuse in election activities.

It's also his first bid for elective office.