DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate plans to include a Presidential Straw Poll at his office's booth during the 2015 Iowa State Fair. The unscientific poll can be accessed via iPads at the booth, which will be located inside the Varied Industries Building at the State Fairgrounds. Real time results will be available on the Iowa Secretary of State’s website, www.sos.iowa.gov/statefairpoll.

“We hope the Straw Poll will draw people to our booth, where Iowans can also register to vote,” Secretary Pate said. “Increasing voter participation is one of the primary functions of my office. I want all eligible Iowans to fulfill their civic duty and exercise their right to vote.”

The State Fair Straw Poll will include 18 Republican and five Democratic presidential candidates. Visitors to the Secretary of State booth can also vote in daily polls with fun topics, such as “Who Is Your Favorite Famous Iowan”, “What is Your Favorite Bacon Dish,” and “Which In-State College Football Team Will Have the Best 2015 Season”.

“This is just a fun thing I decided to do,” Secretary Pate said. “The presidential race is all over the news, most of the candidates will be visiting the State Fair and I thought it would be interesting to gauge their support from fairgoers. It is a totally unscientific poll and you don’t have to be an Iowan to vote in it.”

Secretary Pate has invited all of the presidential candidates and their supporters to visit his State Fair booth. Registering Iowans to vote will be one of the priorities for Pate’s staff during the Fair. Although Paul Pate is Iowa’s Commissioner of Elections, the Secretary of State’s Office takes no official role in the Iowa Caucuses. Those are functions of the Iowa Democratic Party and the Republican Party of Iowa.

Visitors to the State Fair booth can also learn about various programs from the Secretary’s Elections and Business Services division. The Secretary of State booth is Number 273, on the second row from the concourse main entrance of the Varied Industries Building.

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