Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate announced more than 250,000 Iowans have registered to vote since he took office on January 1, 2015. Iowa has broken several voter registration records during Secretary Pate’s tenure, including setting the all-time high for active registered voters, 2,045,864, in January 2017.
“It has never been easier to register to vote in Iowa,” Pate said. “The simplest way to register is online. Since my office instituted online voter registration in 2016, almost 90,000 Iowans have registered to vote or updated their voter registration through that system. I encourage every eligible Iowan to register to vote and to be a voter.”
Iowa is one of the top six states in the nation for voter registration and voter participation. As Secretary of State, Pate has taken numerous steps to encourage and enhance voter registration in Iowa. Along with online voter registration, he implemented the Safe at Home address confidentiality program so survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse can register to vote and cast their ballot without their address becoming public record.
Earlier this year, Pate drafted a bill to make Election Day registration easier. Iowans can now provide proof of residency documents in an electronic format, such as on a smart phone. Other innovations include the #VoterReady initiative, the nationally-recognized ‘Helping Veterans and Iowans with Disabilities Vote’ outreach effort, the #BeAVoter partnership with the Iowa League of Heroes, and the statewide College Voter Engagement Drive. Visitors to the Secretary of State’s Capitol office are encouraged to register to vote on the display case that contains the Iowa Constitution.
Iowans needing to register to vote or update their information should visit sos.iowa.gov/registertovote.