Paul D. Pate Secretary of State State Capitol Des Moines, IA 50319 |
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WEBSITE: sos.iowa.gov E-MAIL: sos@sos.iowa.gov |
OFFICE OF THE IOWA SECRETARY OF STATE | ||
MEDIA CONTACT: Kevin Hall Communications Director Kevin.Hall@sos.iowa.gov (515) 725-2942 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October, 16 2018 |
Secretary Pate statement on reports of voter lists being sold on the internet
DES MOINES - According to reports, Iowa is one of several states whose voter registration lists are being sold on the internet. These same lists are publicly available through the Secretary of State's Office. Iowa law classifies voter registration lists as public records that can be used only for bona fide political purposes.
"Voter registration lists are provided regularly to political parties, candidates and media organizations, but do not include voters' personal information, such as Social Security and driver's license numbers. We vigilantly protect voters' personal data. Iowa law prohibits any commercial use or resale of voter lists and my office is working with law enforcement to identify and prosecute this offender. This release of voter registration information that is already publicly available has no impact on the security and legitimacy of Iowa's elections." – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate
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