VOTING AT THE IOWA STRAW POLL: FRAUD-PROOF, HONEST & SECURE
The Republican Party of Iowa will host the Iowa Straw Poll on August 11, however, the voting procedure will be conducted with the assistance and oversight of the Story County Auditor's Office with assistance from the State Auditor's Office.
"Voting at the Iowa Straw Poll will follow procedures unique to this event," stated Chuck Laudner, Executive Director of the Republican Party of Iowa. "You will need to prove your Iowa residency during the credentialing process. This means you will need to display an Iowa driver's license, military ID, student ID, or other legitimate form of photo identification."
Only upon being successfully credentialed will the Straw Poll voter be given a paper ballot to cast their vote. An electronic scan of the photo ID will verify its authenticity and prevent multiple voting attempts. All Iowa residents who will be 18 years old on or before November 4, 2008, will be eligible to be credentialed and vote upon successful completion of that process.
Officials with the Republican Party of Iowa believe all official elections in Iowa should require every voter show a photo ID to vote. "It is unacceptable to engage in a voting process open to fraud," Laudner stated. "There should be no more important tenant in any election than one person, one vote." He went on to say only liberals oppose requiring showing a photo ID before voting. "Intentional fraud and illegal voting can mean the difference between victory and defeat in many elections," he said. "The steps we are requiring before ballots are cast at the Straw Poll are the minimum we believe should be used in each election in this state."
Voters at the Straw Poll will dip their thumb in purple ink to indicate they have cast their ballot. "We recognize the great privilege of voting by tipping our hat to the Iraqi people who cast their first votes in a free and democratic election," Laudner explained. "Iowans will be just as proud to display their inked thumb as the newly liberated Iraqi people were."
Voting begins at 10:00 a.m. and continues until 6:00 p.m. when the voting areas are shut down. Voting machines provided by the Story County Auditor will be used. These are the same machines used for every official election held in Story County. The machines will be positioned on the concourse level of Hilton Coliseum, Scheman Building, and CY Stephens auditorium. Votes will be tallied by the State Auditor's Office and results will be announced by emcee.
