Iowa needs to commit $$ to get federal vote-computer money

Iowa legislators need to commit to provide a bit of state money or risk losing several MILLION dollars the feds are forwarding the states for election reform efforts. Secretary of State Chet Culver, Iowa’s Commissioner of Elections, says the first check should be delivered to Iowa this spring. Every state will get a minimum of $5 MILLION. Iowa could get up to $35 MILLION more, but the state must provide about $2 MILLION dollars in matching money. Culver’s been chatting with the Governor and legislators about putting up the state money to ensure Iowa gets as much as possible to retool the state’s voting systems. Culver says Iowa should make voting ights a priority, but like Congress and the President did by passing the Help America Vote Act.” The federal money can be used to buy new voting machines, new computers for voter registration or to train poll workers.