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CEDAR RAPIDS — Serving as Iowa’s Secretary of State is a privilege and not a stepping stone, explained Democratic incumbent Michael Mauro Tuesday during the official kick-off for his re-election campaign.
Iowa Secretary of State Michael Mauro met with supporters following the official kick-off of his re-election campaign Tuesday in Cedar Rapids. (Photo by Lynda Waddington/The Iowa Independent)
“I’m running because I have a passion for the job,” Mauro told roughly 50 supporters gathered in a Cedar Rapids coffee house. “I’m not here today because I want to be your senator one day — or because I hope to be your congressman. I love this job. This is what I want.”
Mauro, who is seeking his second term as secretary of state, does not yet know who he will face on the November ballot, but is ready to run on what he believes is a record of first-term accomplishments.
“Over the years, I’ve learned the experience does mean something,” Mauro said and noted that during 2008 Iowa had the 5th highest voter turnout percentage in the nation as well as the highest rate of participation among young people aged 18 to 24. “These things as well as all of the items I’ve highlighted today show that we are engaged and doing all we can to make the services of our office work for everyone.”
Mauro, who served as the Polk County Auditor and Elections Director prior to seeking the office of secretary of state, said the voting process is Iowa is open to all eligible voters while being secure.
“We have same-day registration, which allowed an additional 45,000 Iowans to participate in the election process,” he said. “At the same time, we have tough restrictions that are in place to protect the legitimacy of our elections. That’s the type of elections we have in Iowa: Safe, secure, accessible and open to participation by all eligible voters.”
Of those voters who took advantage of same-day registration, roughly 70 percent, he said, were individuals who had moved from one location in Iowa to another and had failed to change their voter registration. Very few of the original 45,000 were individuals who could not legally vote in election, and those who violated the law were turned over to county attorney offices for prosecution.
“I think most instances involved those who were convicted felons,” Mauro told The Iowa Independent following his public remarks. “And, I don’t believe those individuals were purposefully out to commit another crime that would land them back in jail, they just didn’t understand the process of having their voting rights restored. I think many of them thought they had their voting rights restored when they had not.”
Due in large part to the advocacy of Mauro, Iowa created a voter verified paper trail in 2007 to ensure fair and secure elections — a process that is uniform across all 99 counties in the state. And, in 2009, the nonprofit and nonpartisan Overseas Vote Foundation ranked Iowa as the best state in the nation in making voting accessible to military men and women serving overseas.
Mauro has also instituted cost-saving measures during his first tenure that included the move of school elections to every other year and taking direct control of the state’s voter registration database. The office has embraced technology as well. From national honors for its Web site to deployment of a precinct atlas electronic poll book system across the state to ensuring that Iowa’s disabled residents retain the ability to cast an accurate and private ballot, Mauro’s staff has embraced the efficiency and possibilities of technology.
“I believe I have been a secretary of state for all Iowans and I intend to continue doing that as long as I have the privilege of serving the people of Iowa,” Mauro said. “My record as an elected official is about delivering results and I will continue to do that in a second term.
Former state Rep. George Eichhorn, Stuart businessman Chris Sanger and Council Bluffs City Councilman Matt Schultz will appear on a June 8 ballot to determine the Republican nomination. The winner of that contest will then face Mauro.
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