Iowa Secretary of State calls for ballot recount in two counties

Pate announced over Twitter that he is requesting a recount of ballots in Warren County and Des Moines County.

Grace Smith

The Iowa State Capitol is seen before the opening of the 2022 Legislative Session in Des Moines, Iowa, on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022.

Jami Martin-Trainor, Assistant Digital Editor
November 9, 2022

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate called for a recount of votes in Warren County and Des Moines County. 

Pate tweeted at 12:24 a.m. on Wednesday that he is requesting the counties to conduct administrative recounts of ballots. 

As of Pate’s tweet, there were around 30,000 ballots from Iowa that had not been counted. Absentee ballots from Linn County account for a majority of that value.

According to an email from Kevin Hall, to The Daily Iowan, Pate’s communications director, the absentee ballots from Linn County were uploaded early this morning. 

Hall also wrote that Pate has demanded that the county auditors of Warren County and Des Moines County call a meeting with their respective Boards of Supervisors to recount the votes. 

These recounts are based on unofficial results of the 2022 midterm elections.

“I will ensure that the ballots will be counted and the integrity of Iowa’s elections will be maintained,” Pate stated in the tweet.

According to Hall, the investigation is still underway, and more information will be released when it is made available.

Editor’s Note: In a previously published version article, it was stated that the 30,000 uncounted ballots are solely due to the recount. A large portion of that value is from absentee ballots from Linn County. The DI regrets these errors.