Iowa voter-roll purge fight erupts between ACLU and election-integrity advocates

The ACLU of Iowa warned county auditors that acting on citizen challenges to delete out-of-state voters before the midterms likely breaches the National Voter Registration Act, prompting a clash with groups seeking to clean the rolls.

In Iowa, a confrontation has developed between the ACLU of Iowa and election-integrity supporters over whether voter registrations can be cancelled based on citizen challenges before the upcoming midterm elections. Advocates have submitted hundreds of petitions to delete voters who seem to have relocated out of state, relying on state law that permits challenges up to 70 days before the ballot. The ACLU responded with a letter to all 99 county auditors, asserting that acting on such challenges within the federal “quiet period” - the 90 days preceding an election - would likely breach the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.

The organization referenced a Biden-era Justice Department memo interpreting the law as covering third-party data-matching programs, a view disputed by conservative legal experts who say the statute only restricts systematic reviews by election officials. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate previously ordered counties to reinstate voters removed after the 90-day window, and Black Hawk County’s auditor indicated hearings will proceed but any cancellations will be postponed until after the 2026 midterms. Critics, including Cleta Mitchell of the Conservative Partnership Institute, claim the ACLU’s warning is intended to deter officials from enforcing state-mandated roll-cleaning.