Paul D. Pate
Republican · IA · Iowa Secretary of State
Paul D. Pate is Iowa Secretary of State and Commissioner of Elections. He previously served as mayor of Cedar Rapids and as a state legislator.
Where Paul D. Pate stands, based on their records
Supports
Government Efficiency (1 record), Election Integrity (6 records), Civil Rights (1 record)
Opposes
Data Privacy (1 record)
Campaign finance information not available
Track record
Track record — Government Efficiency
Government Efficiency · 1 support
Pate unveiled Iowa's electronic voter registration system with the Iowa Department of Transportation, allowing eligible residents with a driver's license or state ID to register or update registration online.
January 4, 2016Supports Government Efficiency
Source: sos.iowa.gov · researched July 7, 2026
Track record — Election Integrity
Election Integrity · 6 support
Challenged the eligibility of Iowa voters who had said they were not citizens when applying for a driver's license, and joined a lawsuit that won the state access to federal citizenship data. A court challenge to those 2024 efforts was dropped in February 2026.
February 11, 2026Supports Election Integrity
Source: sos.iowa.gov · researched August 16, 2026
After gaining access to the federal SAVE program, Pate announced that his office reduced an initial list of potential noncitizens to 277 confirmed noncitizens registered to vote, referred those cases for investigation, and pursued legislation and litigation to support citizenship verification.
March 20, 2025Supports Election Integrity
Source: sos.iowa.gov · researched July 7, 2026
Pate directed county auditors to have poll workers challenge ballots from individuals identified in a voter-registration audit as self-reported noncitizens, while allowing them to cast provisional ballots.
October 22, 2024Supports Election Integrity
Source: sos.iowa.gov · researched July 7, 2026
Pate launched an election cybersecurity vulnerability disclosure program with Bugcrowd to let private-sector security researchers test Iowa election infrastructure and report vulnerabilities.
October 1, 2020Supports Election Integrity
Source: sos.iowa.gov · researched July 7, 2026
Pate was unanimously elected president of the National Association of Secretaries of State and received the NASS IDEAS Award for an election cybersecurity initiative built around partnerships with county, state, and federal agencies.
July 8, 2019Supports Election Integrity
Source: sos.iowa.gov · researched July 7, 2026
Pate unveiled Iowa's electronic voter registration system with the Iowa Department of Transportation, allowing eligible residents with a driver's license or state ID to register or update registration online.
January 4, 2016Supports Election Integrity
Source: sos.iowa.gov · researched July 7, 2026
Track record — Data Privacy
Data Privacy · 1 oppose
On May 5, 2026, Paul Pate confirmed that Iowa had provided voter-registration data to the U.S. Department of Justice after his office determined the state was legally obligated to comply with the request.
May 5, 2026Opposes Data Privacy
Source: sos.iowa.gov · researched August 16, 2026
Track record — Civil Rights
Civil Rights · 1 support
Pate unveiled Iowa's electronic voter registration system with the Iowa Department of Transportation, allowing eligible residents with a driver's license or state ID to register or update registration online.
January 4, 2016Supports Civil Rights
Source: sos.iowa.gov · researched July 7, 2026
Track record — General
General · 1 record
Pate was unanimously elected president of the National Association of Secretaries of State and received the NASS IDEAS Award for an election cybersecurity initiative built around partnerships with county, state, and federal agencies.
July 8, 2019
Source: sos.iowa.gov · researched July 7, 2026
Race Paul D. Pate is in:
- Secretary of State · November 3, 2026 · Iowa · incumbent
Profile last researched August 16, 2026.