The Iowa Supreme Court rules in favor of Linn County’s election security lawsuit

Cedar Rapids, Iowa – The Supreme Court of Iowa gave Linn County Auditor Joel Miller permission to file a lawsuit about election security in Iowa.

Miler has the right to sue the Iowa Voter Registration Commission, the justices said unanimously. Miller has standing because of the verdict, which says that the County Auditor is responsible for holding elections while the Secretary of State of Iowa is in charge of supervising them.

Miller first complained to Secretary of State Paul Pate in 2019 about the state’s voter registration system, known as I-Votes, stating that it was vulnerable to hackers and did not adhere to security requirements outlined in the 2002 Help America Vote Act. Miller was not given a response from Pate’s Office, but they publicly referred to the complaint as “willfully ignorant” and maintained the security of the system.

The Iowa Voter Registration Commission received a complaint from Miller after that, but it was rejected without a hearing. Miller filed a case, but it was first dismissed on the grounds that Miller lacked legal standing. The Iowa Supreme Court reversed that decision and remanded the case to a lower court for further proceedings.

In the 2022 race for Secretary of State, Pate defeated Miller with almost 60% of the vote. After serving as the Linn County Auditor for 17 years, Miller is now retiring. His replacement will be decided by the election on November 5.