As reported by NBC News, a district judge, Judge Ian Thornton, in Iowa’s Linn County District Court in Cedar Rapids agreed with lawyers arguing that Linn County’s election auditor Joel Miller should not have mailed out absentee ballots with pre-printed personal information.
Judge Ian Thornhill issued a temporary injunction ordering Linn County Auditor Joel Miller to notify voters in writing that the forms should not have been pre-filled with their information and cannot be processed. Instead, they’ll have to either fill out new requests for absentee ballots or vote on Election Day.
NBC News
Republicans said that this judgement would hold a “rogue” official accountable – Miller is a registered Democrat. Linn County – where Cedar Rapids is located – leans heavily Democrat. Republicans earlier in the year voted that absentee ballots could not contain pre-printed personal information – including voter identification numbers – in an effort to make absentee ballots more secure. Miller argued that having people fill out their own information was” too burdensome and potentially disenfranchised people.”
Linn County will send out new absentee ballots to the 50,000 people who received now “invalidated” ballots.
