UPDATED: Iowa Secretary of State Michael Mauro reacted sharply to his challenger’s claim he’s lying about requiring voters to show photo identification.

Matt Schultz

SOS Michael Mauro

“Matt Schultz either doesn’t understand Iowa law or is deliberately misleading Iowans on how elections are administered in our state,” Mauro, the Democratic incumbent, said Sept. 15 in the latest round of a campaign back-and-forth over requiring voters to show photo IDs.

Schultz, a Council Bluffs city councilman who won a three-way primary to get the GOP nomination, accused Mauro of telling “half-truths” about photo ID requirements.

“He has implied that showing a photo ID when you register to vote on Election Day means that everyone has to show a photo ID before they vote. This is not true,” Schultz said.

According to Iowa law, registered voters need to prove their identity or residence in order to vote. A photo ID is one way to do that.

People who register on Election Day must prove both identity and residence, so a photo ID is required. Also, all inactive voters – those who have not voted in four years — are required to show identification before they are allowed to vote.

Mauro is dodging the fundamental issue that only a small percentage of voters have to show their photo IDs to vote, Schultz said.

“I believe the law should be changed,” he said. “The word ‘may’ should be changed to ‘shall require,’ making all voters show a photo ID when they vote on Election Day.”

Mauro said that when someone registers to vote they are required to provide a valid Iowa driver’s license number, Iowa non-operator ID number or the last four digits of their Social Security number. Those numbers must be verified with the Iowa Department of Transportation or the Social Security Administration prior to Election Day. If not, the voter is listed as pending and must produce identification before they are allowed to vote.

Also, Mauro said, falsely registering to vote is a Class D felony punishable by a fine up to $7,500 and up to five years in prison.

“Elections in Iowa are both accessible and secure,” he said. “Today, Iowa has uniform voting equipment across the state, a voter verified paper trail, and an effective identification program.”

Schultz, however, said Mauro “cannot hide the fact that he opposes photo ID legislation.”

“Stop dodging the question Mr. Mauro. Just admit that you are against requiring everyone to show a photo ID before they vote at the polls,” Schultz said. “If you won’t admit that you are opposed to photo ID legislation, then are you going to be honest and return all of the money that has been donated to you since 2006 from the Secretary of State Project?”

Among its positions, the Secretary of State Project says: “Efforts to suppress the vote through onerous requirements, such as unconstitutional photo ID laws, must be opposed.”

The Mauro campaign said he has not received any financial backing from the SOS Project.

For more on the candidates, visit www.VoteMattSchultz.com or call (712) 322-0448 and www.michaelmauro.org.