• About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
Friday, May 9, 2025
The Iowa Torch
  • Home
  • State Government
  • Federal Government
  • Local Government
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • State Government
  • Federal Government
  • Local Government
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Opinion
The Iowa Torch
The Iowa Torch
No Result
View All Result
Home State Government

Pate Urges Pelosi to Respect Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District Results

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate to Speaker Pelosi: "Every step of the way, the administration of Iowa’s elections is either bipartisan or nonpartisan."

Iowa TorchbyIowa Torch
March 29, 2021
in State Government
Reading Time: 2 mins read
Pate Announces $1,000,000 Election Cybersecurity Grant to Iowa Counties

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate

DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate sent a letter to U.S Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Monday asking her to respect Iowa’s bipartisan election and recount process, State of Iowa law, and the official state certification of Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ election as U.S. Representative for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District.

RELATED POSTS

Reynolds signs bill enacting flat tax in 2025

Reynolds joins bipartisan opposition to Biden Administration’s Space Force proposal

Iowa lawmakers enact flat tax for 2025

The text of the letter is below:

 

Dear Speaker Pelosi:

Iowans take their voting very seriously and I firmly believe we are the best state in the nation for civic engagement. Despite the pandemic, the people of Iowa made their voices heard in record numbers in 2020, both in the June primary and November general election. I’m extremely proud of the way our voters, poll workers and county election officials stepped up.

Our state had the closest U.S. House race in the country, with Mariannette Miller-Meeks defeating Rita Hart. Following a recount in all 24 counties in the Second Congressional District, Miller-Meeks won by six votes.

The general election and recounts were conducted in a bipartisan manner. There are 12 Republican county auditors and 12 Democratic county auditors in the Second District. Bipartisan teams of precinct election officials staffed the polling places and processed the absentee ballots.

ADVERTISEMENT

The recount boards in all 24 counties were bipartisan, comprised of one representative from the Miller-Meeks campaign, one representative from the Hart campaign, and a third member who was agreed upon by the other two representatives or appointed by a district court judge. The Hart campaign signed off on the recount procedures and results in all 24 counties.

Following the recount, the bipartisan State Canvassing Board unanimously accepted the results and officially certified the election. At the end of this bipartisan process, Mariannette Miller-Meeks won: 196,964-196,958.

Iowa law provides for a nonpartisan process if a candidate for federal office wishes to contest the results of an election. A panel of Iowa District Court judges, presided over and appointed by the chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court, hears the contest and delivers a ruling. Both my office and the Supreme Court were ready, willing, and able to facilitate a fair and thorough contest process.

Every step of the way, the administration of Iowa’s elections is either bipartisan or nonpartisan. Unfortunately, Rita Hart chose to bypass the nonpartisan Iowa process and take her challenge to the U.S. House of Representatives where her political party has the power to grant her a seat she did not win.

Ms. Hart has stated that her reason for failing to give Iowans a voice in this process is that Iowa law does not allow for sufficient time to review her claims. That assertion is in stark contrast to the fact that Iowa’s Judicial Branch has always gone above and beyond to issue expeditious rulings in cases concerning election law.

The Hart campaign should have exhausted all state avenues before asking a federal chamber controlled by her party to make the final determination. Iowans should have the final say in all Iowa elections, not Washington, D.C. politicians.

Now, Rita Hart is asking you to “depart from Iowa law” and give her an election victory she did not earn. I strongly urge you to reject any attempts to overturn the will of Iowa voters. Mariannette Miller-Meeks is the official U.S. House Representative for Iowa’s Second District and is serving the district capably. Let her continue to do the job Iowans elected her to do.

LetterToCongress2021
Tags: 2020 Iowa 2nd Congressional District raceMariannette Miller-MeeksNancy PelosiPaul PateRita Hart
ShareTweetShare
ADVERTISEMENT
Previous Post

Monroe County Lawsuit Over State Gun Law Could Prove Costly For Its Taxpayers

Next Post

Schultz: Supporting Law Enforcement in Iowa

Iowa Torch

Iowa Torch

The Iowa Torch​ is a for-profit, news organization that focuses on political news as it relates to Iowans.

Related Posts

Hinson: Use biofuels to bring down the cost of gas today
Federal Government

EPA issues emergency fuel waiver for E15 sales

April 19, 2024
Opinion

Miller-Meeks: Iowa has become a border state under the Biden Administration

April 19, 2024
Opinion

Miller-Meeks: The time for practical energy solutions is now

April 11, 2024
Miller-Meeks Asks If Feds Are Prepared to Support States, Cities Fight Cyber-Attacks
Opinion

Miller-Meeks: State of Appearances

March 14, 2024
person holding black android smartphone
Federal Government

U.S. House passes bill potentially banning TikTok

March 13, 2024
Opinion

Miller-Meeks: We must increase the quality of life for children with complex diseases

March 8, 2024
Next Post
Schultz: The Amendment That Doesn’t Do Anything

Schultz: Supporting Law Enforcement in Iowa

Iowa Extends Filing Deadline; Addresses Unemployment Compensation

Iowa Extends Filing Deadline; Addresses Unemployment Compensation

Recommended Articles

Grassley Pushes for Hiring Authority for Special IG for Pandemic Recovery

Grassley Pushes for Hiring Authority for Special IG for Pandemic Recovery

December 15, 2020

Iowa Senate Republicans Set FY 22 Budget Target at Just Shy of $8 Billion

March 24, 2021
Group Pushes for Tax Cuts with Iowa’s Projected Revenue Growth

Hendrickson: Conservative Budgeting Is the Best Path Forward

January 7, 2021

Popular Stories

  • Three LGTBQ Books with Sexually Explicit Material Pulled from Waukee School

    Three LGTBQ Books with Sexually Explicit Material Pulled from Waukee School

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Iowa Dept. of Health & Human Services fill two leadership roles

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Rozenboom: Reflecting on the First Week of the 2021 Legislative Session

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Reynolds Appoints Joshua Schier as District Court Judge

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Fauci ends taxpayer-funded experiments on dogs

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
The Iowa Torch

The Iowa Torch​ is a for-profit, news organization that focuses on political news as it relates to Iowans

Categories

  • Current Events
  • Education
  • Federal Government
  • Iowa History
  • Local Government
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • State Government

Newsletter

© 2022 The Iowa Torch, a publication of 4:15 Communications, LLC.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • State Government
  • Federal Government
  • Local Government
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Opinion

© 2022 The Iowa Torch, a publication of 4:15 Communications, LLC.