Iowa Supreme Court lets rulings on absentee requests stand

The Iowa Supreme Court is declining to review lower court decisions that invalidated tens of thousands of voters' absentee ballot requests.

The court issued orders Wednesday denying requests to put rulings in Linn and Woodbury counties on hold.

The elections commissioners in those counties, an affected voter and Democratic-aligned groups had asked the court to intervene, saying thousands of voters could be inconvenienced and potentially disenfranchised if the rulings stand. The court rejected all of their requests without explanation.

The counties sent absentee ballot requests to registered voters filled with their personal information, including names, addresses, dates of birth and voting personal identification numbers. Voters had to review, sign and return the forms to request absentee ballots, which will be mailed beginning Oct. 5.

President Donald Trump's campaign and Republican Party groups sued, contending the pre-filled forms violated a directive from Secretary of State Paul Pate that they must be blank when mailed to voters.

Judges Ian Thornhill and Patrick Tott ruled in favor of Trump's campaign, ordering the counties and Johnson County to not process any of the pre-filled absentee ballot requests. About 80,000 voters in the three counties had already returned such forms. Now, they'll have to either fill out new blank absentee ballot requests or vote on Election Day.