DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate was designated as a Certified Elections/Registration Administrator (CERA), the highest professional achievement in the nation for an election official. The certification ceremonies were conducted by The Election Center and took place in New Orleans on Tuesday. Pate is the only Secretary of State in the United States to complete the certification process while serving as Secretary of State.

"This is the highest designation available to elections and voter registration officials," said Tim Mattice, director of The Election Center. "Iowa is indeed fortunate to have Secretary Pate as one of the top designated professionals in America. Obtaining and maintaining CERA status means that he has committed to a career-long process of continuing education to improve the electoral process in Iowa and the Nation."

CERA designation is achieved only through a multi-year course of study conducted by The Election Center's Professional Education Program and completion of twelve core courses taught by the Master's in Public Administration Faculty of Auburn University. The courses include ethics, voter registration and elections law, planning, communications, and voter participation. The intent of the program is to professionalize the management of voter registration and elections administration while promoting and preserving public trust in the electoral process.

"Elections officials are referees. We do not wear team jerseys while administering elections," Secretary Pate said. "The CERA program reminds us that every voter is treated equally, with equal access to the ballot. I am committed to those principles as Iowa's Commissioner of Elections. Voter participation and election integrity are not mutually exclusive. I believe we should have both."

The Election Center is a non-profit association of voter registrars and elections administrators throughout the United States. Its membership is comprised of township, city, county and state elections officials and other election-related entities.

A photo of Secretary Pate receiving his certification is available at this link.

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