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About the Secretary

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About the Secretary

Paul D. Pate

Paul D. Pate

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate has dedicated his life to public service. Now entering his fourth term as Iowa’s Commissioner of Elections, Secretary Pate is guided by three core principles: service, participation and integrity.

Under Secretary Pate’s leadership, Iowa has become one of the top three states in the nation for election administration. The state has broken numerous records for voter registration and participation during his tenure. Secretary Pate successfully instituted Iowa’s online voter registration system in 2016.

He has also taken steps to protect election integrity by drafting Iowa’s Voter ID laws and defending them in court multiple times. Secretary Pate also established a post-election audit system and greatly enhanced Iowa’s election cybersecurity.

His civic education programs, voting accessibility initiatives, and election cybersecurity efforts have been recognized nationally by National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, and the National/Student Parent Mock Election organization.

The Secretary of State’s Office is the small business portal for the State of Iowa. For six of the past seven years under Secretary Pate, Iowa has seen a record amount of new business filings. Secretary Pate implemented a Fast Track Filing system in 2018 that greatly enhanced the speed and efficiency of the process.

Secretary Pate worked with the Iowa Legislature to enact the Safe at Home program, an initiative aimed at protecting survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking, and stalking by keeping their address confidential. More than 1,200 Iowans participate in Safe at Home.

In January of 2022, Secretary Pate launched the Iowa Businesses Against Trafficking coalition. Over 400 businesses and organizations joined the coalition within its first month, and the efforts to end human trafficking in Iowa continue to grow.

Secretary Pate served as the President of the NASS from July 2019-July 2020. He is currently the Co-Chair of the NASS Elections Committee.

Finally, Paul Pate is a nationally recognized small business leader, a father of three and grandfather of five. He and his wife Jane reside in Cedar Rapids.

An official photo is available for your use at this link.