Polk County voters report issues with Iowa ID law during sales tax election

James Sasek headed to his polling place Tuesday evening with two goals.

He wanted to vote in Polk County's sales tax election and he wanted to test the effectiveness of Iowa's new voter ID law.

Sasek cast his ballot, but only after 10 minutes of negotiating with poll workers who were unsure how to handle a voter unable or unwilling to present identification, he said.

Polk County's sales tax vote Tuesday was the "soft rollout" of the state's voter ID law that will eventually require Iowans to present an accepted form of identification before casting a ballot.

The law does not go into effect until 2019, but county auditors are testing the system this year.

Voters on Tuesday were asked to present an ID. Those who could not were supposed to sign an oath verifying their identity and receive a regular ballot.

Sasek, 35, knew as much walking into his Drake neighborhood voting precinct.

"I walked in and said I wanted to sign an oath," Sasek said. "(Poll workers) didn't know what I was talking about."

Sasek said he was told that he'd need to show an ID before voting. He pushed back.

"It took about 10 minutes of convincing (the poll workers). And they attempted to give me a provisional ballot," Sasek said.

That would have required him to provide a valid ID to the county auditor before Monday for his vote to count.

Sasek said the exchange was cordial — "These are my neighbors" — and eventually he was allowed to sign an oath and cast a regular ballot.

But the work it took worries him.

"Turning people away who are eligible to vote is a bad thing. If there's a more fundamental right ... I can't think of one," he said.

Several people who tested the voter ID law Tuesday told similar stories on social media. Several of those accounts were reported in a story on Bleeding Heartland, a left-leaning politics blog.

Polk County Auditor Jamie Fitzgerald acknowledged receiving complaints, but said "no one's vote" was missed.

"Some people may have confused the oath with the provisional ballot. If we were contacted, we fixed that," he said.

Fitzgerald said all Polk County precinct captains had a two-hour training session on the new ID law.

"I think the weather had more effect on the turnout than the voter ID law," Fitzgerald said.

Polk County voters cast 29,194 ballots, slightly more than 10 percent of registered voters.

In 2007, the last time Polk County residents voted on a sales tax increase, turnout was 23 percent.

About the law

Beginning Jan. 1, 2019, Iowans will be required to show a valid ID at the polls. Those include a driver's license, non-operator's license, passport, military ID, veteran's ID or state-issued voter card.

Those who cannot will be offered a provisional ballot.

Advocates say showing ID is needed to ensure the integrity of the voting process and to prevent fraud.

Critics say the law targets younger and poorer people, who move more often and are therefore less likely to have an updated address on their driver's license, or no license at all.

Iowa Democrats highlighted their concerns from the floor of the House of Representatives on Thursday, offering more than a dozen amendments to a bill making adjustments to the voter ID law passed last year.

Among those amendments were provisions to repeal the voter ID requirements entirely, impose new public education measures and expand the types of valid ID accepted. Each amendment was voted down by the Republican majority.

Rep. John Forbes, D-Urbandale, said his wife grabbed the wrong purse Tuesday and did not have her ID when they went to vote. He said she was almost denied a normal ballot, but because he knew the details of the law, he was able to remind poll workers of the law’s requirements.

"I’m afraid when we roll around to our next election in June ... there’s going to be more and more confusion," he said. "... I think it’s important that we, at least for the next primary election in the state of Iowa, that our poll workers are educated and know how to deal with situations and follow the law here in the state of Iowa.”

Rep. Bruce Hunter, D-Des Moines, complained that the state has done “bupkis” to educate voters or to educate poll workers.

“The Secretary of State (Paul Pate) has fallen down on his job,” he said.

Kevin Hall, a spokesman for Pate, a Republican, said Pate has partnered with all 99 county auditors and is holding bipartisan meetings across the state to educate voters. Hall said Pate also is working with colleges and universities to ensure students know how to vote.

"We have reached hundreds of thousands of voters through targeted social media alone," Hall said in a statement. "Our efforts will continue, including a full-scale media plan, in the leadup to the 2018 June primary.

"Rep. Hunter’s inaccurate and misleading comments undermine our efforts to inform all Iowans about the election law changes. He does Iowa voters a disservice and could be disenfranchising them with his scare tactics and partisan rhetoric."

After hours of debate, the House approved House File 2252, which makes some relatively small adjustments to the voter ID law.

Sasek said he believes the law is making it harder for people to vote.

"I think it’s important our polling locations know how to accurately allow people to vote, or you're going to disenfranchise people," he said.