River Bend Times

Conservative groups the Iowa Voter Alliance and the national Thomas More Society are contending that grant money supposed to help pay for the increased cost of running an election during the COVID-19 pandemic is being used instead improperly to help progressive (liberal) candidates.

A federal judge in Iowa on Oct. 20 listened to the complaint and denied it.

Erick Kaardal, a Minnesota lawyer who represents the Thomas More Society, said the organization may challenge the outcome of the Tuesday, Nov. 3 election because he alleged municipalities are improperly using private money.  

Kaardal contended officials in Black Hawk and Scott counties accepted grant money from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, a nonprofit that is supposed to streamline the election process, but is using the money to appeal to liberal voters.

A report in KWWL News 7 said Black Hawk County received $276,500, while Scott County got $286,870.

The motto of the Center for Tech and Civic Life based in Chicago is, “We harness the promise of technology to modernize the American voter experience.”

The Thomas More Society is described as a “conservative anti-abortion law firm” in Chicago.

The conservative groups argue that the grants represent an improper public-private partnership in urban counties in Iowa to help liberal candidates.

Thomas More Society attorneys have launched lawsuits to block the grant funding in states including Iowa, Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. So far judges have rejected the complaints, the report added.

Katie Graham, a Des Moines attorney who represents Black Hawk County, told The Gazette there was nothing illegal about counties accepting private grant funding.

“We (Black Hawk) have already incurred a lot of expenses related to COVID-19,” she said. “And even accepting additional CARES Act funding, the county would have to go into the general reserve fund. At the end of the day, the county did the responsible thing not going to the general reserves and putting taxpayers at a deficit.”