DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa's election ballots were supposed to be certified on September 3rd, but that timeline is facing a roadblock after an appeal made by three Libertarian candidates.
Three congressional Libertarian candidates were originally removed from the ballot by a Republican majority state panel.
The panel said its reasoning was because the candidates failed to notify county auditors the results of its precinct caucuses, and the Libertarian Party's County conventions were held the same night as its precinct caucuses, which is against Iowa code.
A district court for Polk County ruled Tuesday that ballots cannot be finalized yet, granting an emergency temporary injunction on ballot certification.
This injunction is in place while the court reviews the candidates' appeal.
"This is a crucial step forward in our fight for electoral justice," said Jules Cutler, Chair of the Libertarian Party of Iowa and legal counsel representing the candidates. "The court’s ruling recognizes that there are legitimate questions about the legality of the State Objections Panel’s decision. We are confident that, upon full review, our candidates will be reinstated, allowing Iowans to have a true choice at the ballot box this November."
Libertarian candidate, Marco Battaglia, was frustrated to be removed in the first place.
"I thought, unfortunately, it was more playing politics than like, right and wrong, but I think that's for everybody to judge that witnessed it and is still caring about it," Battaglia said.
Despite the pause, Democrats and Republicans are gearing up for the election and assessing their ballot chances.
Iowa Democrats say they expect to see a lot of activity in the metro, and they plan to hold lawmakers accountable for their votes.
"I've been making the point for a while that Iowa is a purple state," said Representative Jennifer Konfrst, Iowa House Minority Leader. "We're not as red as we look right now, and I think the fact that two of our four congressional districts are being targeted by both parties tells you just how volatile and purple this state really is."
Republicans are confident in their incumbents and plan to be vocal going forward for the tight congressional races.
"A very good head nod to the neutrality of our system of redistricting in the state," said Jeff Kaufmann, Chair of the Iowa Republican Party. "When Republicans have this large of an electoral lead and super majorities in the legislature, we still have a fair system that has given us three, at least on paper, three very competitive districts."
With the trifecta in the state legislature already and confidence in the top of the ticket, Kaufmann says the Republican Party plans to be on offense this election.
"The fighting starts with being able to reflect on what our voters do in elections, and so when Republicans turn out here, that strengthens our hand to make sure that we are a caucus state in 2028 as well," Kaufmann said. "So, there's a lot riding on this election, even though, at the 30,000 foot level, it looks like we can cruise."
Democrats are confident in voters across the state and their votes for issues they care about.
"The best night is one in which as many voters turn out as possible, as many voters who are eligible to vote, vote," Konfrst said. "Then let's see where Iowa really is."
Iowa's Secretary of State Office says it does not plan to certify any ballots on Tuesday, it will comply with the court. However, its office is confident the courts will have a timely ruling, as federal law requires ballots to be certified by September 21st.