More than 47,000 of the votes that were cast in the November election were from people who registered to vote on Election Day.
Secretary of State Michael Mauro – — the state’s top election official — is checking the list to ensure all who opted for “same-day” voter registration were eligible to cast a ballot. Mauro is sending a letter that cannot be forwarded to the address each of those voters listed on their registration materials back on November 4th — as a way to check for fraud. “I’m hoping that the instances would be minor,” Mauro says, “but I would not be surprised if we have some.”
Most Republicans dislike the law that lets voters register on Election Day. During a recent statehouse hearing, Representative Jodi Tymeson — a Republican from Winterset — asked Mauro to be vigilant. “I would hope that you’d let the legislature know if the law is strong enough,” Tymeson said.
If Mauro and other election officials find any fraudulent votes, the ballots cannot not be recounted as all races have been settled in Iowa. Mauro doesn’t expect widespread abuse of the law, as there are stiff penalties for voting fraudulently. The first run of the state’s new “same-day” voter registration law was in the June primary when a few hundred used the option. In the general election, over 47,000 registered on Election day.