Programs examining Iowa voter-fraud litigation and the Mark Becker murder trial will commemorate Constitution Day at Wartburg College Sept. 13 and 20.

“Voter Suppression or Voter Fraud,” Thursday, Sept. 13, will focus on the case against Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz brought by the Iowa chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and the League of United Latin American Citizens, the oldest Latino civil rights organization in the nation.

“A Fair Trial in a Small Town: State of Iowa vs. Mark Becker,” Thursday, Sept. 20, will revisit the case of the convicted murderer of Aplington-Parkersburg football coach Ed Thomas.

Both programs are 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in McCaskey Lyceum of Saemann Student Center. The audience will have a chance to ask questions at the conclusion.

Schultz, a Republican, approved two emergency rules in July to challenge the registration of voters if their names were similar to those on state and federal lists of foreign nationals. He recently assigned a special agent from the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigations to look into more than 2,000 alleged cases of voter fraud.

The ACLU and LULAC requested an injunction in August against implementation of the rules. Opponents maintain that Republican-controlled legislatures and officials are using allegations of voter fraud to suppress the turnout of minority voters.

Joe Enriquez Henry, state LULAC director, will address the issue. Schultz declined an invitation to appear, citing the pending litigation.

Iowa District Court Judge Stephen Carroll and jury foreperson Doug Schueler will discuss the highly publicized Becker trial. He was found guilty by a Butler County jury, which initially was split on the insanity defense.
Based on 2005 congressional legislation, all institutions of higher education receiving support from the federal government must participate in an activity recognizing Constitution Day, Sept. 17, the date when the U.S. Constitution was ratified 1787. Wartburg has developed programs focusing on a timely topic of civic interest as an opportunity to serve the Wartburg and Cedar Valley communities.