Hundreds of voter forms submitted during Iowa's 40 day voting period have been rejected due to confusion over voters' requested identification numbers.
Voters are permitted to use the last four digits of their Social Security numbers to identify themselves on their forms, but county auditors have experienced debilitating delays in gaining access to the Social Security database in order to verify many ballots, causing a growing backlog of unprocessed votes, the Des Moines Register reported.
The situation threatens to disenfranchise hundreds of voters across the state less than three weeks before Election Day.
"I'm trying to make an effort to get this worked out. These voters have done nothing improper. They followed the procedure printed on the application," said Polk County Auditor Michael Mauro.
"These people are very frustrated because they had done what they were required by law to do. Students feel this is an intentional effort to make it difficult for them to vote. The elderly, some who are handicapped, are angered because they're unable to leave the house. We feel very bad about it," added Johnson County Auditor Tom Slockett.
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