Iowa’s election commissioner Monday emphatically refuted any contentions by political candidates that this year’s Nov. 8 general election is rigged in any way. “This state has a pretty darn good track record and I really resent anybody trying to blemish it,” said Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, who plays a dual role as the state’s election commissioner. He said anyone who has evidence or concern about the integrity and fairness of Iowa’s voting process should contact is office so he can investigate any allegations; otherwise he hoped politicians would “knock it off” and focus on the issues important to Iowans. “Iowa has got one of the cleanest, best election systems in the country and I guarantee every eligible Iowa voter will be able to cast their ballot for the Nov. 8 election,” added Pate, who said he wanted to clear away any “smoke” over rigged elections by noting the many checks and balances Iowa has to maintain integrity and ferret out fraud.
… Pate said Trump may be referred to his experience as a New Yorker but Iowa has a tradition of clean, honest elections. “If there’s something else, please Mr. Trump, tell us what it is and I will have my staff immediately look into it and pursue it with all the vigor and authority that this office has, and that applies to anybody because the last thing I want is an Iowan who thinks that their vote doesn’t count,” the secretary added. “They’re not demonstrating there’s any proof that there’s these issues. What they’re doing is trying to distract, in my opinion, from what the real election issues are. Voting is far too important.”
Gov. Terry Branstad, a six-term Republican who is backing Trump in the 2016 presidential matchup with Democrat Hillary Clinton, said he trusts Iowa’s system and its voters, but he expressed concern there is “collusion” between the national media and Clinton to help get her elected next month.
“The integrity of our electoral process is critically important and a lot of people are very skeptical today because they see the bias of the national press, they see what they consider to be collusion between the Clinton machine,” the governor told his weekly news conference.
Full Article: Iowa Secretary of State Pate refutes claims of rigged election | The Gazette.