News : Avoid Mis- and Dis-Information, Turn to County Auditors for Trusted Info

Secretary of State Paul Pate is encouraging Iowans to turn to the Office of the Iowa Secretary of State and local election officials as the official trusted sources for election information leading up to the 2024 elections.

Secretary Pate joins his colleagues across the nation and fellow members of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) in participating in NASS's #TrustedInfo2024 educational effort. Secretary Pate served as president of NASS in 2019 and helped spearhead the launch of the TrustedInfo campaign leading into the 2020 elections.

"My office is committed to protecting the vote of every Iowan and maintaining Iowa's status as a top-ranked state for election administration," said Secretary Pate. "Despite efforts from bad actors to cast doubt in the elections process, Iowans can rest assured that their vote is counted fairly and accurately. From paper ballots, pre-election equipment testing, post-election audits, and a range of cyber and physical security protections, Iowans can be confident in our layered approach to election integrity."

There has been an alarming increase in the spread of false claims regarding elections across the country despite there being no evidence of intrusions into Iowa's election systems. It is vitally important that Iowans turn to trusted sources for election information, including the Iowa Secretary of State's Office, their local county auditor's office, and other local election officials.

Secretary Pate's office has also developed an Election Security in Iowa webpage to counter mis- and dis- information. It includes a Myth vs. Fact section and a detailed breakdown of the many security measures Iowa has put in place to protect elections.

NASS's nonpartisan #TrustedInfo2024 effort highlights election officials across the United States as the trusted sources for election information, which is critical in the age of mis-, dis-, and mal-information campaigns. Since its launch in November 2019 as #TrustedInfo2020, the #TrustedInfo initiative has received acclaim from numerous non-profit, private sector and government organizations.

Secretary Pate joined his NASS colleagues in February in Washington D.C. at the annual winter conference to share best practices and prepare for the 2024 Elections. Secretary Pate is the former president of NASS and is Co-Chair of the organization's Elections Committee.

For more information on Iowa's election process or to register to vote, visit VoterReady.Iowa.Gov.