Rob Sand

Released a Des Moines Public Schools reaudit that found an undisclosed conflict of interest involving the former superintendent, a district vendor, and $6,275 in district payments.

April 28, 2026Supports Anti-Corruption

Source: legis.iowa.gov · researched August 18, 2026

Rob Sand's office won an Iowa Supreme Court ruling allowing the Auditor of State to be represented by his own general counsel in litigation stemming from nearly $2 million in City of Davenport settlement payments made without city council approval.

December 5, 2025Supports Anti-Corruption

Source: auditor.iowa.gov · researched July 7, 2026

Reported that Iowa officials had not provided documentation showing income eligibility or adequate fraud controls for $104 million spent through the state's Education Savings Account program.

February 18, 2025Supports Anti-Corruption

Source: iowapublicradio.org · researched August 18, 2026

Released a special investigation identifying $436,179.92 in improper or unsupported disbursements at Children and Families of Iowa and referred the report to state and local law-enforcement agencies.

January 30, 2025Supports Anti-Corruption

Source: legis.iowa.gov · researched August 18, 2026

Rob Sand released a report on the Judicial Branch misallocation of $26 million in court debt from fiscal years 2021 through 2024, attributing the misallocation to programming coding errors and identifying timeline and oversight issues.

December 17, 2024Supports Anti-Corruption

Source: auditor.iowa.gov · researched July 7, 2026

Rob Sand voted against using nearly $175,000 in taxpayer funds to settle open-records lawsuits against Governor Kim Reynolds and her administration and sent fellow State Appeal Board members a June 21, 2023 letter opposing the settlement structure.

June 21, 2023Supports Anti-Corruption

Source: auditor.iowa.gov · researched July 7, 2026

Rob Sand opposed the final version of Iowa Senate File 478, saying it would let state government hide documents from auditors, end judicial review of auditor-access disputes, and risk more than $12 billion in federal funding.

April 26, 2023Supports Anti-Corruption

Source: auditor.iowa.gov · researched July 7, 2026

As Iowa Auditor of State, Rob Sand released a March 1, 2022 report on the Office of Governor and repeated a recommendation that funds used for Governor staff salaries be returned to Iowa's Coronavirus Relief Fund after the Auditor's Office said supporting documentation had been denied or was insufficient.

March 1, 2022Supports Anti-Corruption

Source: auditor.iowa.gov · researched July 7, 2026

Released a special investigative audit on June 3, 2021 concluding that a $500,000 state-funded coronavirus awareness campaign featuring Governor Kim Reynolds broke Iowa's law against spending public money on self-promotion.

June 3, 2021Supports Anti-Corruption

Source: axios.com · researched August 18, 2026

Won an Iowa Supreme Court decision on April 30, 2021 upholding a subpoena issued by the Auditor of State. A state agency had refused to identify the investors behind a transaction expected to create a multi-billion dollar obligation for the agency, and the court held the subpoena valid.

April 30, 2021Supports Anti-Corruption

Source: law.justia.com · researched August 18, 2026

Determined that Iowa's planned use of $21 million in federal pandemic-relief funds for a preexisting software project was improper; the state directed the money back to its Coronavirus Relief Fund.

December 14, 2020Supports Anti-Corruption

Source: iowapublicradio.org · researched August 18, 2026

Prosecuted Hot Lotto ringleader Eddie Tipton, who received a prison sentence of up to 25 years and was ordered to pay about $2.2 million in restitution.

August 22, 2017Supports Anti-Corruption

Source: thegazette.com · researched August 18, 2026

Prosecuted Iowa Film Office tax-credit fraud defendant Dennis Brouse, who was convicted of first-degree fraudulent practices and sentenced to ten years in prison.

May 31, 2012Supports Anti-Corruption

Source: northiowatoday.com · researched August 18, 2026

The Iowa Local Government Risk Pool credited Rob Sand with helping free up nearly $90 million over six years for Iowa public schools after his 2019 opinion allowed school districts to participate in a risk pool for energy-cost liabilities.

June 1, 2026Supports Government Efficiency

Source: auditor.iowa.gov · researched July 7, 2026

Rob Sand released a report on the Judicial Branch misallocation of $26 million in court debt from fiscal years 2021 through 2024, attributing the misallocation to programming coding errors and identifying timeline and oversight issues.

December 17, 2024Supports Government Efficiency

Source: auditor.iowa.gov · researched July 7, 2026

Rob Sand announced improved average efficiency scores in Iowa's Public Innovations and Efficiencies program, which he created in 2019, reporting that 488 Iowa government entities participated in 2022, including all 99 counties.

March 30, 2023Supports Government Efficiency

Source: auditor.iowa.gov · researched July 7, 2026

Rob Sand voted against using nearly $175,000 in taxpayer funds to settle open-records lawsuits against Governor Kim Reynolds and her administration and sent fellow State Appeal Board members a June 21, 2023 letter opposing the settlement structure.

June 21, 2023Supports Government Spending Reduction

Source: auditor.iowa.gov · researched July 7, 2026

The Iowa Local Government Risk Pool credited Rob Sand with helping free up nearly $90 million over six years for Iowa public schools after his 2019 opinion allowed school districts to participate in a risk pool for energy-cost liabilities.

June 1, 2026Supports Public Education Quality

Source: auditor.iowa.gov · researched July 7, 2026

Received Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear's support at a Des Moines campaign rally.

June 7, 2026

Source: apnews.com · researched August 18, 2026

Received Defend the Vote's endorsement for governor.

May 20, 2026

Source: wedefendthevote.org · researched August 18, 2026

Lost an Iowa Supreme Court ruling on April 17, 2026 in City of Davenport versus Office of Auditor of State. As Auditor of State he had subpoenaed recordings of closed-door council meetings while investigating nearly $2 million in settlement payments to former Davenport employees. The court held that the auditor's broad statutory access to government records does not override attorney-client privilege.

April 17, 2026

Source: kcrg.com · researched September 5, 2026

The Iowa State Education Association announced its recommendation of Rob Sand for Iowa governor after its PAC evaluated candidates on public-school funding, educator rights, and safe learning environments.

April 11, 2026

Source: isea.org · researched August 11, 2026

Received the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO's endorsement for governor.

November 1, 2025

Source: voteunioniowa.org · researched August 18, 2026

The Iowa Supreme Court ruled partly against Sand's state auditor office in a public-records lawsuit. It overturned the lower court's decision ending the case without a trial (summary judgment) over nine withheld emails and a long delay in releasing another, upheld the office's withholding of a tenth email, and sent the case back to the lower court.

April 26, 2024

Source: law.justia.com · researched August 18, 2026

Won reelection as Iowa Auditor of State in the 2022 general election.

November 8, 2022

Source: sos.iowa.gov · researched August 11, 2026

Won the 2018 general election for Iowa Auditor of State; the Secretary of State's official winner list records him as the winner.

November 6, 2018

Source: sos.iowa.gov · researched August 11, 2026