Pate visits Mt. Pleasant, talks new governor and voter ID law

By Karyn Spory, Mt. Pleasant News

For about five minutes, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate was the most powerful person in the state. But most Iowans didn?t even know it.

On Wednesday, then Gov. Terry Branstad submitted his resignation to Pate. In order to be confirmed as Ambassador to China, Branstad could not hold public office. It was then Pate?s duty to notify the lieutenant governor of the vacancy and the code statue allowing the transition of power to take place. During that time, Pate was Iowa?s head officer.

Pate jokes that the thought to not notify Reynolds did cross his mind, but history was about to be made and he was not about to get in the way.

?It was history in the making. It?s something I?ve never seen and probably never will again,? he said of Reynolds replacing Branstad.

Not only did Reynolds become the first female governor of the state, but Wednesday marked the first time a lieutenant governor replaced a sitting governor in modern history.

And as for Iowa?s 43rd chief executive breaking boundaries, Pate says it?s a trend he?s pleased to see.

?We?ve broken a lot of glass ceilings in the state and we should be proud of that,? he said. ?From a historical standpoint, we have one of the few state auditors (Mary Mosiman) in the nation serving, you had a Republican female Lt. Governor and now governor and a (female) U.S. Senator. They are all very substantial.?

Pate said across the state he?s noticed more women stepping up for office.

One day into her tenure as governor, Reynolds named state public defender Adam Gregg as the ?acting? lieutenant governor.

Earlier this month, the state attorney general issued his legal opinion on Reynolds? inability to appoint a lieutenant. He stated that although Reynolds would assume all the powers and duties of the governor, she would not have the legal authority to appoint a new lieutenant.

?It?s disappointing that she had to approach this the way that it has unfolded. I think most Iowans will tell you they believe she had the authority to appoint her lieutenant governor.

Rather than ensue a legal battle over the issue, Reynolds appointed Gregg as ?acting? lieutenant governor, which means he would still be tasked with duties of the office, but if Reynolds should ever be unable to perform her duties as governor, the line of succession would bypass Gregg. Instead, Senate President Jack Whitver (R-Ankeny) is now a heartbeat away from the governorship.

Gregg will still earn the $103,000 salary for lieutenant governor.

Pate said he foresees the legislature tackling this constitutional issue in the near future.

As secretary of state, Pate presides over all elections within the state. And with that comes new voter ID laws.

The legislation, signed into effect by Branstad earlier this month, requires voters show a photo ID ? drivers license, non-operators? ID, military ID, passport or a new state issued ID - before voting.

?I spearheaded (the legislation) because I felt it was imperative we embrace technology,? said Pate of the voter ID laws. ?We have over 2 million registered voters in the state and we want to encourage all Iowans to be registed and voting,? he said.

The technology Pate refers to are electronic poll books. Voters would scan their state-issued ID or voter registration card to check into their polling place.

Pate says this will make for shorter lines at polling stations and ?makes us better election administration.?

Opponents to the law questioned the need for stricter voting requirements as Iowa had the fourth-highest electoral integrity rating in 2016 according to a survey by the Electoral Integrity Project.

Pate agreed that Iowa does not have massive voter fraud. ?We?ve done a pretty good job to date, but we know we have areas to improve in. This bill gives us the tools by having counties embrace the poll books,? he said.

Pate equated voter IDs to keys for a car. ?What do you use your keys to the car for? You use it to lock your car to protect it from people taking it and you also use it to start the engine and be able to go where you want to go,? he said. ?That?s what I look at, whether it?s your drivers license, passport, military ID or state issued ID card, that?s the key. You come into vote, that?s what we use in the poll book.?

On Thursday, Pate was in Mt. Pleasant meeting with the county?s auditor?s office to discuss the new poll books.

Pate said the rollout of the new laws and technology will take time. School board elections this coming September will not require a state issued ID. State issued ID cards will be sent out around the first week of December, Pate said.

In 2018, poll workers will begin asking for ID cards, but if voters don?t have them, Pate says not to worry, voters can sign a form swearing they are registered to vote. The following year, ID cards will be required.

For more information on the state?s voter ID laws, visit www.sos.iowa.gov.