DAVENPORT, IOWA (July 15, 2026) – On Tuesday, federal judges dismissed two more lawsuits that had been filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to gain access to states’ voter rolls, in an attempt to obtain highly sensitive data like drivers’ license and Social Security numbers. This marks fifteen cases in total that have been dismissed, while zero judges have sided with the DOJ.
This raises the question of why Iowa’s Secretary of State Paul Pate provided the federal government with that sensitive data earlier this year. The record of these cases shows he was not required to do so.
Iowa’s Democratic nominee for Secretary of State Ryan Peterman issued the following statement:
“These Justice Department losses make it clear that Sec Pate had no legal requirement to comply with the federal government’s request for Iowans’ sensitive personal information,” Peterman said.
“While this information may already be in the hands of the federal government due to these irresponsible actions, there is still a lot we do not know. Iowans deserve greater transparency into exactly what was in the information Sec Pate handed over, how it was transferred, and how it is being stored. Iowans deserve to know what the DOJ plans on doing with their data. And at the end of the day, Iowans deserve accountability, and a Sec of State who stands up for them.”
