Iowa Secretary of State Michael Mauro said Tuesday he won't appeal a judge's decision that voter registration forms must only be in English.
Mauro's office removed non-English voter forms from the secretary of state's Web site after the judge issued his ruling in March.
He said appealing the decision could take years and cost thousands of taxpayer dollars. Instead, Mauro said he would work with the Iowa attorney general's office to find alternatives for non-English speaking voters.
"It never was my intent not to comply with the law," Mauro said. Former Gov. Tom Vilsack signed the English-language law in 2002, specifying that all government communications must be in English. But current Gov. Chet Culver said the law allows for voter registration forms to be in multiple languages.
Polk County District Court Judge Douglas Staskal ruled that the non-English forms conflicted with the law, which was written by former state Sen. Steve King, who is now a congressman.
King and anti-immigration advocates filed a lawsuit in January 2007, claiming Mauro placed voter information on his official Web site in Spanish, Bosnian, Vietnamese and Laotian.
The Iowa attorney general's office released a statement Tuesday that said the Legislature should change the law and allow voter registration forms to be in languages other than English.
"We will work with the secretary of state and county auditors on how election officials, within the bounds of the decision, can assist non-English speaking Iowans in exercising their right to vote," the statement read.
"We also will be reviewing the decision and considering how it relates to other documents and materials provided by state and local government agencies in languages other than English."
Mauro's office removed non-English voter forms from the secretary of state's Web site after the judge issued his ruling in March.
He said appealing the decision could take years and cost thousands of taxpayer dollars. Instead, Mauro said he would work with the Iowa attorney general's office to find alternatives for non-English speaking voters.
"It never was my intent not to comply with the law," Mauro said. Former Gov. Tom Vilsack signed the English-language law in 2002, specifying that all government communications must be in English. But current Gov. Chet Culver said the law allows for voter registration forms to be in multiple languages.
Polk County District Court Judge Douglas Staskal ruled that the non-English forms conflicted with the law, which was written by former state Sen. Steve King, who is now a congressman.
King and anti-immigration advocates filed a lawsuit in January 2007, claiming Mauro placed voter information on his official Web site in Spanish, Bosnian, Vietnamese and Laotian.
The Iowa attorney general's office released a statement Tuesday that said the Legislature should change the law and allow voter registration forms to be in languages other than English.
"We will work with the secretary of state and county auditors on how election officials, within the bounds of the decision, can assist non-English speaking Iowans in exercising their right to vote," the statement read.
"We also will be reviewing the decision and considering how it relates to other documents and materials provided by state and local government agencies in languages other than English."
Election Day '09 was a roller-coaster for election reformers. Instant runoff voting had a great night in Minnesota, where St. Paul voters chose to implement IRV for its city elections, and Minneapolis voters used IRV for the first time—with local media touting it as a big success. As the Star-Tribune noted in endorsing IRV for St. Paul, Tuesday’s elections give the Twin Cities a chance to show the whole state of Minnesota the benefits of adopting IRV. There were disappointments in Lowell and Pierce County too, but high-profile multi-candidate races in New Jersey and New York keep policymakers focused on ways to reform elections; the Baltimore Sun and Miami Herald were among many newspapers publishing commentary from FairVote board member and former presidential candidate John Anderson on how IRV can mitigate the problems of plurality elections.