Matt Schultz (born July 23, 1979) is an American Republican politician who served as Iowa Secretary of State.
Matt Schultz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 31st Madison County Attorney | |
| Assumed office January 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Julie Bardwell-Forsyth |
| 31st Secretary of State of Iowa | |
| In office January 14, 2011 – January 14, 2015 | |
| Governor | Terry Branstad |
| Preceded by | Michael Mauro |
| Succeeded by | Paul Pate |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 23, 1979 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Occupation | Attorney |
| Website | Secretary of State website |
Biography
editSchultz grew up in West Des Moines, Iowa and graduated from Valley High School, Brigham Young University–Idaho, the University of Iowa, and the Creighton University School of Law.[1]
He is an Eagle Scout, and is active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).[2] He served a two-year mission for the church in Argentina. He and his wife, Zola, live in Madison County with their five children.[1]
He was elected to public office in 2005 as a city councilman in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he served for five years.[1]
Iowa Secretary of State
editHe was elected to the position of Secretary of State in 2010, and was the youngest secretary of state in the country.[1]
While in office, Schultz created a new statewide lien registration system and focused on a new voter-ID law.[3] He also worked to ease the voting process for active members of the military from Iowa.[4]
On July 20, 2012 Schultz approved two emergency voter fraud rules that would allow him to challenge the registration of voters if their names are similar to names found on state and federal lists of foreign nationals and also approved a rule allowing people to file complaints of voter fraud without oaths via e-mail.[5]
In December 2013, it was reported that an investigation by the office of the Secretary of State was passing along 16 cases of voter fraud to local county officials. As of December 17, 2013, five people pleaded guilty to attempted voter fraud, and five other cases were dismissed.[6][7] On January 22, 2014, Schultz announced charges in nine additional voter fraud cases. Many of the original 16 charges, and all 9 of the later charges were on citizens convicted of felonies whose voting rights had not been restored.[8] State Auditor Mary Mosiman stated that Schultz' use of HAVA (Help American's Vote Act) funds might be in violation of their intended use. Mosiman said that Schultz' may be required to repay the federal grant if asked to do so.[9]
The Des Moines Register on Feb 24, 2014 reported more than 80 (cases) have been referred to county attorneys for possible prosecution. [10] **Note—Cases "referred" and prosecutions are two different things.
The Des Moines Register on May 15, 2014 reported that Iowa Secretary of State, Matt Schultz's voter fraud investigation cost taxpayers $250,000 and resulted in a total of 6 guilty pleas; equalling approximately $42,000 per guilty plea.[11]
Schultz initiated the Rock Iowa program which partners with the national Rock the Vote organization to educate high school seniors about the electoral process and encourage them to register to vote.[3]
Photo ID for voters
editDuring his tenure as Iowa Secretary of State, Schultz supported legislation to require photo identification for voters. He said a voter ID requirement was "common sense" and necessary to prevent voter fraud.[12][13]
Iowa Democrats said that he was attempting to disenfranchise voters,[14] and the ACLU of Iowa said that voter fraud is not a problem.[15] Iowa Senate Democrats blocked the legislation,[16] and The Gazette, an eastern Iowa newspaper reported, "Schultz has turned a reasonable, principled position into a political sideshow".[17]
Subsequent career
editOn January 9, 2014, Schultz announced he would be a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives. He ran to represent Iowa's 3rd congressional district, after the announcement by Congressman Tom Latham that he would be retiring from Congress in 2014. He finished third in the primary; receiving less than one fifth of total votes cast, and endorsed would be candidate David Young at convention.[18]
He was instead the Republican nominee for Madison County attorney, winning the general election with 61%, defeating incumbent Democrat Julie Bardwell-Forsyth.[19]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Iowa Secretary of State website
- ^ Campbell, Joel (19 June 2010). "More LDS politicians win primaries, face challengers". Mormon Times. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ a b Johnson, Bridget (31 July 2013). "Secretary of State promotes programs". Journal-Eureka. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
- ^ Hayworth, Bret (9 June 2012). "Politically Speaking: Iowa's voting agency has new program honoring veterans". Sioux City Journal.com. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
- ^ Miller, Jessica (2012-08-11). "Iowa's Matt Schultz Faces Court Battle Over Voter Fraud Rules - Government - Ames, IA Patch". Ames.patch.com. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
- ^ Morgan Whitaker (2012-11-06). "Iowa Republican debunks his own voter fraud claims". MSNBC. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
- ^ "After 18 Months, Iowa Investigation Finds A Voter Fraud Rate Of .00075 Percent". ThinkProgress. 2013-12-17. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
- ^ Noble, Jason (22 January 2014). "Matt Schultz announces charges in nine more voter fraud cases". Des Moines Register.
- ^ "VOTER FRAUD: Auditor Warns Schultz Over Investigation". WHOTV.com. 2013-12-19. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
- ^ Des Moines Register Feb 24, 2014 Iowa voter fraud investigation concludes; 80 additional cases referred to prosecutors
- ^ [1] Schultz's Crusade Heavy on Cost, Light on Fraud
- ^ Noble, Jason (26 January 2012). "Secretary of State Matt Schultz introduces new voter-ID bill, but legislative response is muted". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ Schultz, Matt (26 October 2013). "Guest Editorial: Iowa's voter ID bill is a model for the country". Press Citizen. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ "Matt Schultz Finally Tells the Truth about Voter ID". Iowa Democratic Party.
- ^ Noble, Jason (26 January 2012). "Secretary of State Matt Schultz introduces new voter-ID bill, but legislative response is muted". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ Petroski, William (1 April 2011). "Iowa Sec. of State Schultz says Democrats killed his voter ID bill". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ "Matt Schultz may be hurting, not helping voter I.D. cause". TheGazette. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
- ^ Jacobs, Jennifer (January 9, 2014). "Elections chief Matt Schultz jumps into race for Congress". Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on January 12, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
- ^ David Pitt (November 30, 2014). "Schultz looks ahead to serving as county attorney". Des Moines Register. Retrieved December 3, 2014.