Culver Decisions Cost Office $576,000

(This is how my day started: elbow air conditioning. How could I tear my shirt like this and not know it until my co-worker pointed it out?)

Want to place bets that a new federal report will end up in a campaign ad for Terry Branstad? The U.S. Elections Assistance Commission released a report late Monday afternoon that finds the Secretary of State's office owes a big chunk of change...nearly $576,000. The commission reaffirmed some previous complaints about the way Chet Culver spent money during his tenure as Michael Mauro's predecessor as Secretary of State. Republican critics several years ago questioned how Culver could spend taxpayer cash from the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) on things like cake and performances from Iowa native, Simon Estes.

The report finds the Secretary of State's office needs to repay the money but not to the feds. Mauro's office said the money needs to go back to the State Elections Office, which funds programs like the state voter registration database, making voting booths accessible, etc. So where does the Secretary of State get all that cash to repay? That's the question of the day. A spokesperson for Mauro said it will now be up to Governor Culver and/or lawmakers. Apparently, Mauro's office doesn't have more than half a million bucks sitting around.

During the primary campaign, Republican George Eichhorn tried to make a political issue out of this and criticized Mauro for the mis-spending, even though it happened when Culver held the office. Eichhorn, by the way, finished last in the Republican primary.

Report Questions Culver's Secretary of State Office

Channel 13 has obtained a report that charges improper spending, bookkeeping and paperwork problems in the Iowa Secretary of State's office. The report looks at the years between 2003 and 2008, but focuses on Chet Culver's final three years heading the office. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission requested the report that looked into how the secretary of state's office spent money from the Help America Vote Act, otherwise known as HAVA.

The report criticized a program Culver's office used called “Celebrate Voting”. The events featured, among other things, dancers, refreshments and singer Simon Estes. Investigators found the $118,000 cost was improperly spent because it failed to promote voting as required. The report also said the office failed to properly document nearly $900,000 paid to employees for working on HAVA programs.

In all, the review questions more than $2.55 million in spending. Current Secretary of State Michael Mauro told me, “The audit speaks for itself. We think a lot of the issues can be worked out. But the time frame deals with before we got into office."

Much more on this Tuesday... For now, here's the report if you want to check it out. Grab some coffee. It's a long one...