In Iowa, Irving Omar Ahumada Geronimo, a 35-year-old resident of Graettinger who is not a U.S. citizen, faces charges of voter fraud for allegedly registering and voting illegally in a 2021 local election.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird’s office announced that Geronimo was arrested and charged with two counts of election misconduct on October 31.
The criminal complaint accuses him of falsely affirming U.S. citizenship on his voter registration form and subsequently voting in a Graettinger City Council and school board election, despite not being eligible.
First-degree election misconduct is a class D felony in Iowa, carrying a penalty of up to five years in prison and fines ranging from $750 to $7,500. Bird’s office, which holds exclusive jurisdiction over election crimes in Iowa, will prosecute the case.
This case follows another similar prosecution involving Jorge Oscar Sanchez-Vasquez, a legal resident in Marshalltown charged with illegal voting in a local special election in July.
These actions are part of a broader Republican-led effort in Iowa to prevent noncitizen voting. Secretary of State Paul Pate has directed counties to scrutinize ballots from individuals flagged as noncitizens by the Iowa Department of Transportation.
Ahead of the recent general election, Pate provided county auditors with a list of over 2,000 suspected noncitizens, requiring them to prove citizenship for their votes to be counted.
Palo Alto County, where Geronimo resides, had five flagged residents, only one of whom voted, and that individual is a U.S. citizen, according to Palo Alto County Auditor Carmen Moser. The auditor’s office has not commented on Geronimo’s charges.