Federal Judge Rules Iowa Officials Can Challenge Ballots of Potential Noncitizen Voters

The Iowa Secretary of State has hailed the court’s ruling as a ‘win for Iowa’s election integrity.’

A voter fills out a ballot at a polling station in Des Moines, Iowa on Nov. 6, 2018. Joshua Lott/Getty Images

A federal judge ruled on Sunday that Iowa election officials may continue to follow Secretary of State Paul Pate’s directive to challenge the ballots of 2,176 registered voters who have been identified as possible noncitizens.

The ruling came as a recent Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa poll forecast Vice President Kamala Harris leading in Iowa by three points over former President Donald Trump, while other polling organizations estimate that Trump is still ahead in what has been a safely Republican state in recent years.