(Radio Iowa) – Joel Miller, Linn County’s top election official, has easily won the Iowa Democratic Party’s nomination to face Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate in the General Election. “I plan to continue to give voters reasons why they should fire incumbent Paul Pate and hire me,” Miller says. “…The reasons are the negligence and incompetence and the things that he has done as secretary of state.”

Miller cites the failure of Pate’s office to file required paperwork, which delaying voter review of two proposed constitutional amendments and Miller says Pate should have stood with county auditors from both parties who opposed changes in Iowa’s absentee balloting process. Miller supports a return to 40 days of early voting — twice as long as allowed under the law passed by the Republican-led legislature.

Miller was involved in a high-profile stand-off with Pate in 2020. Miller’s office sent absentee ballot request forms to every eligible Linn County voters, with the voter’s name and other information filled out on the forms. Pate said the forms should have been blank and Republicans successfully sued, invalidating 50-thousand absentee ballot requests.

Pate, the former mayor of Cedar Rapids, is seeking a fourth term as secretary of state. Miller is the former mayor of Robins, which is also in Linn County.