Iowa, naturalized citizens settle lawsuit over voter eligibility challenges ahead of 2024 election

Deal limits state's ability to rely on driver's license records for citizenship data

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate and a group of naturalized U.S. citizens have settled a federal lawsuit that will prevent the state from relying exclusively on driver's license records for citizenship data in the three months before an election. The lawsuit was filed after Pate directed election workers to challenge ballots from about 2,000 registered voters who were identified as possible noncitizens ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Under the settlement, the state can now use the federal government's Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to verify voter eligibility.

Why it matters

This settlement aims to ensure that state officials do not make last-minute voter eligibility challenges based on unreliable data, which could disenfranchise eligible naturalized citizens. The case highlights the ongoing debate over voter ID laws and the use of government databases to verify citizenship status.

The details

Several naturalized U.S. citizens sued Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate in late 2024, alleging he infringed on their right to vote when he directed election workers to challenge ballots from about 2,000 registered voters identified as possible noncitizens. A review found that only 35 of the 1.6 million Iowa voters in 2024 were not U.S. citizens, and there were 277 noncitizens registered to vote out of nearly 2.3 million. Under the settlement, the state can now use the federal SAVE program to verify voter eligibility, and the 2024 list of voters cannot be used for any future ballot-related challenges or voter list maintenance efforts.

  • In late October 2024, several naturalized U.S. citizens sued Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate.
  • In 2025, a review of Iowa's voter rolls found 35 non-U.S. citizens had voted out of 1.6 million voters in the 2024 election, and 277 non-citizens were registered to vote out of nearly 2.3 million.
  • On February 12, 2026, Iowa's top election official and the group of voters settled the federal lawsuit.

The players

Paul Pate

Iowa Secretary of State, a Republican who directed election workers to challenge ballots from about 2,000 registered voters identified as possible noncitizens ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Rita Bettis Austen

ACLU of Iowa's legal director, who saw the settlement as a win in ensuring state officials would not be making last-minute eligibility challenges based on unreliable data.

Brenna Bird

Republican Attorney General of Iowa, who called the outcome of the settlement a victory, pointing out that the state is now using federal databases to verify Iowa's voter rolls.

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What they’re saying

“The overwhelming majority of voters wrongly put on this list, including all our clients, are naturalized United States citizens who have the right to vote. We are hopeful today's settlement will safeguard Iowans from this happening again in future elections.”

— Rita Bettis Austen, ACLU of Iowa's legal director

“We are now using federal databases to verify Iowa's voter rolls.”

— Brenna Bird, Republican Attorney General of Iowa

What’s next

The settlement, signed by both parties, was filed in court on February 12, 2026 but had not yet been accepted by a federal judge.

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing debate over voter ID laws and the use of government databases to verify citizenship status, as well as the importance of ensuring that state officials do not disenfranchise eligible voters based on unreliable data.