DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate and state and federal partners are reassuring voters of the many steps taken to provide a secure election. The State of Iowa has received national awards for its election cybersecurity efforts and was named one of the top three states in the nation for election administration.

“In Iowa, we take a holistic approach to election integrity and security – pre-election testing, paper ballots, post-election audits, enhancing cybersecurity measures, and partnerships with our Election Security A Team make that possible,” said Secretary Pate. “The public should be reassured that we are protecting the integrity of their vote in all 99 counties.”

Secretary Pate also reassured Iowans that their votes are cast safely and if anyone tries to impede that process in any way, election officials have local law enforcement on speed dial. “Intelligence and law enforcement communities at all levels of government have been tasked with ensuring our elections are safe and secure,” Iowa Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens said. “Iowans respect and actively exercise their right to vote and do so with civility and integrity. We take our responsibility to protect this right seriously and will be aggressive in deterring any criminal effort to compromise our system of government.”

The Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management assists in monitoring Election Day activity. “Every voter in Iowa should have the opportunity to freely, safely, and securely cast their vote,” said John Benson, Director of the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. “The department is proud to support Iowa’s election safety and security efforts.”

The State of Iowa works with the federal government to ensure elections are protected at every level. “Iowans should feel very confident when they go to the ballot box, that their vote will be counted as cast,” said Phil Kirk, Regional Director from the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “They should have every confidence in the integrity of Iowa’s elections. And they should have confidence in the state and local election officials and their partners in the federal government who’ve been working in solidarity to ensure the security and resilience of our elections.”

Secretary Pate also partners with fellow state agencies to ensure top level cybersecurity protections. “In support of this year’s election, the Department of Management, Division of Information Technology, formerly the Office of the Chief Information Officer, will be monitoring cyberthreats. The State of Iowa Security Operations Center will provide 24-hour-a-day cyberthreat monitoring and heightened support during this year’s elections,” said Shane Dwyer, State of Iowa Chief Information Security Officer.

Secretary Pate and other speakers also urged Iowans to be leery of election misinformation and disinformation. Instead, turn to trusted sources for election information, which are the Secretary of State and county election officials. “I’d like to provide an additional thanks to local partners, including county auditors and the unsung heroes of elections, poll workers. They stepped up to provide a civic duty and put in long hours. It’s an important job and they do it because they care about our elections,” Secretary Pate said.

Next Tuesday is Election Day, and that means time is running out if you want to vote absentee. Woodbury County elections commissioner, Pat Gill, says timing is more important this election.

Gill says there’s not leeway for late ballots.

He says the absentee numbers in already are down, and he says the law change has contributed to that drop.

This election is for city council and school boards.

Farmers are nearly done with the harvest and those empty fields mean thousands of deer are losing their hiding places and they’re scampering onto roads — and into the paths of Iowa motorists. This is among the worst times of the year for car-deer collisions, and Iowa State Patrol Trooper Paul Gardner says they’ve already taken quite a toll this year.

Gardner says Iowans have likely heard the phrase, “Don’t veer for deer,” and he says it’s one they need to commit to memory — and take seriously.

So the odds finally caught up with you and you’ve hit a deer. What should you do next?

The incidence of car-deer crashes tends to rise around sunrise and sunset. Gardner suggests you use particular caution if you see a yellow “Deer Crossing” sign, as those are placed in areas the animals frequent.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – A pedestrian who was struck by an SUV this (Friday) morning, in Council Bluffs, died from their injuries. According to Council Bluffs Police, at around 6:47-a.m., a 36-year-old man was walking near mile marker 1 on the Interstate 80 westbound express lanes, when he was struck by a 2020 Jeep Wrangler, driven by a 44-year-old woman from Council Bluffs. The pedestrian died at the scene. The female driver was uninjured.

The roadway was closed and traffic diverted to the local lanes for approximately four hours. The incident is in the early stages of investigation and the names are being withheld at this time.

Anyone who witnessed this crash is encouraged to call the Council Bluffs Traffic Unit at 712-328-4948.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) [KETV] – One person was killed and another was critically injured in a crash Friday morning on Interstate 80 in Council Bluffs. KETV in Omaha reports the crash occurred around 7 a.m. near Interstate 80 and 24th Street. There is no information as to the cause of the crash at this time, and the person who died has not yet been identified.

According to the latest data from the Iowa Department of Transportation, 312 people have died so far this year on Iowa roads. That’s 27 more than at the same point in 2022. Over the last five years, an average of 338 people have been killed in statewide crashes annually.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Atlantic, IA is assisting the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in an investigation regarding a recent burglary of the BW Outfitters – Anita, IA location; including the Anita Supply Center. The crime occurred during the night / early morning hours of November 2nd, 2023. (See surveillance camera still photo images below)

If you have details that may assist in the investigation of this crime, including images from nearby locations, camera footage, witnessed suspicious vehicles, or any additional information, please contact the Sheriff’s Office at 712-243-2206.

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) — Rita Hart, the head of the Iowa Democratic Party, is condemning a letter from the University of Iowa Democrats that she says was antisemitic. KCRG says according to the Daily Iowan, the group drafted and signed the letter before posting it to social media. The letter included a phrase associated both with genocide and solidarity with Palestine.

In a statement released by Hart, she said: “The Iowa Democratic Party was recently made aware of a statement made by University Democrats at Iowa, which included problematic anti-semitic slogans including ‘from the river to the sea Palestine will be free.’ Let’s be very clear. That is a call for Jewish genocide and we wholly condemn that offensive language. The Iowa Democratic Party stands with the innocent civilians, Israeli and Palestinian, that have had their lives ruined by the terrorist group Hamas. The Iowa Democratic Party has requested the resignations of the student representatives who signed the letter.”

The student group took the original letter down and posted a new version without the phrase later. It then took that version down after several lawmakers reached out and asked to have it removed.

The group’s vice president told the Daily Iowan the letter was not intended to imply genocide but show support for Palestine.