Letter regarding a review of payments made by the Secretary of State’s Office to Jim Gibbons, former Deputy Director, from May 24, 2012 through December 31, 2012

Letter regarding a review of payments made by the Secretary of State’s Office to Jim Gibbons, former Deputy Director, from May 24, 2012 through December 31, 2012

Iowa Secretary of State 2008 Report, 2008

This report highlights the landmark election legislation adopted in the past two years and statistical information on absentee ballots, provisional ballots, and Election Day Registration. In addition, the report outlines the responsibilities of our Business Services Division which handles hundreds of thousands of corporate filings annually. The Secretary of State’s proposals to the 83rd General Assembly for 2009 legislation are mostly technical in nature and are also set forth in this report. The presidential election on November 4, 2008, brought more voters to the polls in Iowa than ever before. Despite fears of election day problems due to new voting equipment, Election Day Registration, and challenged voter procedures, the election went very smoothly in Iowa. The Elections and Voter Registration Division of my office worked diligently to provide training materials for election administrators and fielded thousands of calls and emails from voters. The result was an efficiently-run election statewide. Though the Secretary of State’s Office, like all other state agencies, is operating under strict budgetary constraints, I assure you that my staff and I will continue to provide excellent service and develop innovative solutions to get through these rough economic times.

Evaluation of Bias in the Hamburg Wheel Tracking Device, RB00-010, 2013

As the list of states adopting the HWTD continues to grow, there is a need to evaluate how results are utilized. AASHTO T 324 does not standardize the analysis and reporting of test results. Furthermore, processing and reporting of the results among manufacturers is not uniform. This is partly due to the variation among agency reporting requirements. Some include only the midpoint rut depth, while others include the average across the entire length of the wheel track. To eliminate bias in reporting, statistical analysis was performed on over 150 test runs on gyratory specimens. Measurement location was found to be a source of significant variation in the HWTD. This is likely due to the nonuniform wheel speed across the specimen, geometry of the specimen, and air void profile. Eliminating this source of bias when reporting results is feasible though is dependent upon the average rut depth at the final pass. When reporting rut depth at the final pass, it is suggested for poor performing samples to average measurement locations near the interface of the adjoining gyratory specimens. This is necessary due to the wheel lipping on the mold. For all other samples it is reasonable to only eliminate the 3 locations furthest from the gear house. For multi‐wheel units, wheel side was also found to be significant for poor and good performing samples. After eliminating the suggested measurements from the analysis, the wheel was no longer a significant source of variation.

Experimental Use of Calcium Magnesium Acetate, HR-253, 1983

The Iowa Department of Transportation Materials Laboratory personnel announced in early 1982 a process to produce a road deicer consisting of sand grains coated with calcium magnesium acetate (CMA). From that point forward the Iowa DOT began searching for a means of economically producing CMA to their concept. During 1983 and 1984 the first attempts devised for commercially producing CMA were attempted by the W.G. Block Company, Davenport, Iowa, under Iowa Highway Research Board Project HR-253. This first attempt at commercially producing CMA was accomplished by the use of concrete transit mixer equipment. Even though this procedure proved successful in the batch mixing of CMA, the need for higher production rates to reduce the cost per ton still existed. During the fall of 1984, Cedarapids Inc, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, proposed to Iowa DOT personnel the application of their technology to a continuous mixing concept for CMA. Arrangements were made for the continuous test mixing of 60 to 100 tons of CMA/sand deicer. This report covers the production effort, description and results of procedures outlined in Cedarapids Inc's proposal of September 19, 1984. The objectives of this research were: 1. To produce the CMA/sand deicer concept on a continuous mixing basis to Iowa DOT CMA concentration levels. 2. To evaluate the results of preheating the carrying vehicle (sand) prior to CMA ingredient introduction. 3. To analyze the feasibility of production equipment and procedures necessary for portable and/or stationary applications of continuous mixing concepts.

Investigation of High Density Polyethylene Pipe for Highway Applications, HR-373, Phase 1, 1996

In the past, culvert pipes were made only of corrugated metal or reinforced concrete. In recent years, several manufacturers have made pipe of lightweight plastic - for example, high density polyethylene (HDPE) - which is considered to be viscoelastic in its structural behavior. It appears that there are several highway applications in which HDPE pipe would be an economically favorable alternative. However, the newness of plastic pipe requires the evaluation of its performance, integrity, and durability; A review of the Iowa Department of Transportation Standard Specifications for Highway and Bridge Construction reveals limited information on the use of plastic pipe for state projects. The objective of this study was to review and evaluate the use of HDPE pipe in roadway applications. Structural performance, soil-structure interaction, and the sensitivity of the pipe to installation was investigated. Comprehensive computerized literature searches were undertaken to define the state-of-the-art in the design and use of HDPE pipe in highway applications. A questionnaire was developed and sent to all Iowa county engineers to learn of their use of HDPE pipe. Responses indicated that the majority of county engineers were aware of the product but were not confident in its ability to perform as well as conventional materials. Counties currently using HDPE pipe in general only use it in driveway crossings. Originally, we intended to survey states as to their usage of HDPE pipe. However, a few weeks after initiation of the project, it was learned that the Tennessee DOT was in the process of making a similar survey of state DOT's. Results of the Tennessee survey of states have been obtained and included in this report. In an effort to develop more confidence in the pipe's performance parameters, this research included laboratory tests to determine the ring and flexural stiffness of HDPE pipe provided by various manufacturers. Parallel plate tests verified all specimens were in compliance with ASTM specifications. Flexural testing revealed that pipe profile had a significant effect on the longitudinal stiffness and that strength could not be accurately predicted on the basis of diameter alone. Realizing that the soil around a buried HDPE pipe contributes to the pipe stiffness, the research team completed a limited series of tests on buried 3 ft-diameter HDPE pipe. The tests simulated the effects of truck wheel loads above the pipe and were conducted with two feet of cover. These tests indicated that the type and quality of backfill significantly influences the performance of HDPE pipe. The tests revealed that the soil envelope does significantly affect the performance of HDPE pipe in situ, and after a certain point, no additional strength is realized by increasing the quality of the backfill.

Penetration Characteristics of Asphalt in a Recycled Mixture, MLR-79-03, 1979

Samples of both recycled and nonrecycled asphaltic concrete were extracted in increments by the Abson Recovery Method and the penetration of the asphalt from each increment determined. The recycled projects were plantsite operations containing various amounts of virgin gravel. Cored samples were taken from the pavements on Kossuth County roads that were constructed as recycled projects in 1975, 1976, and 1977. Cored samples were also taken from a Kossuth County paving project done in 1975, that was not recycled. Comparison mix samples from 1978 construction projects in Marshall and Woodbury Counties of non - recycled projects are included. The test data from the penetrations of the recovered asphalt indicates that mixing of the old and new asphalt occurs very extensively in the hot recycling process. In laboratory controlled conditions it is difficult to coat aggregates with different penetration asphalts and prevent them from mixing.

Optimization and Management of Materials in Earthwork Construction, TR-501, 2010

As a result of forensic investigations of problems across Iowa, a research study was developed aimed at providing solutions to identified problems through better management and optimization of the available pavement geotechnical materials and through ground improvement, soil reinforcement, and other soil treatment techniques. The overall goal was worked out through simple laboratory experiments, such as particle size analysis, plasticity tests, compaction tests, permeability tests, and strength tests. A review of the problems suggested three areas of study: pavement cracking due to improper management of pavement geotechnical materials, permeability of mixed-subgrade soils, and settlement of soil above the pipe due to improper compaction of the backfill. This resulted in the following three areas of study: (1) The optimization and management of earthwork materials through general soil mixing of various select and unsuitable soils and a specific example of optimization of materials in earthwork construction by soil mixing; (2) An investigation of the saturated permeability of compacted glacial till in relation to validation and prediction with the Enhanced Integrated Climatic Model (EICM); and (3) A field investigation and numerical modeling of culvert settlement. For each area of study, a literature review was conducted, research data were collected and analyzed, and important findings and conclusions were drawn. It was found that optimum mixtures of select and unsuitable soils can be defined that allow the use of unsuitable materials in embankment and subgrade locations. An improved model of saturated hydraulic conductivity was proposed for use with glacial soils from Iowa. The use of proper trench backfill compaction or the use of flowable mortar will reduce the potential for developing a bump above culverts.

Uniform Crime Reports as a Vehicle For Reporting State Wide Data on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, April 1998

This project is part of an effort conducted by the Justice Research and Statistics Association (JRSA) under a grant whose objective is to provide states with descriptions of existing methodologies to collect Domestic Violence (DV) and Sexual Assault (SA) data. JRSA has identified three different methodologies to collect such data: · Incident-based reporting as part of the Uniform Crime Reports · Specialized data collection from law enforcement through a separate data collection system · Specialized data collection coming directly from service providers. One state has been selected as an example of each type of data collection above, with Iowa selected as a representative of states with incident based reporting (IBR) as part of the UCR system.

DCI Voter Fraud Investigations Report, May 8, 2014.

In March of 2012, the Iowa Secretary of State’s office compared Iowa’s voter registration records with the driver’s license record s of individuals that identified themselves as non-citizens with the Iowa Department of Transportation. After comparing those records, the Iowa Secretary of State’s office found that more than 3,000 individuals registered to vote that had previously identified themselves as non-citizens. More than 1,000 of these individuals had also cast a ballot. The Iowa Secretary of State’s office was not given timely access to the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE)database, and therefore was unable to determine if any of these individuals had become citizens before they registered to vote or cast a ballot. On June 21, 2012, the Iowa Secretary of State’s office entered into an agreement with the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) to review potential election misconduct crimes and improve the administration of federal elections. Over the last two years,DCI agents have reviewed thousands of instances of possible election misconduct. DCI’s review included cases referred by the Iowa Secretary of State’s office as well as by other state and local government agencies.

Treating Iowa's Marginal Aggregates and Soils by Foamix Process, HR-212, 1980

Quality granular materials suitable for building all-weather roads are not uniformly distributed throughout the state of Iowa. For this reason the Iowa Highway Research Board has sponsored a number of research programs for the purpose of developing new and effective methods for making use of whatever materials are locally available. This need is ever more pressing today due to the decreasing availability of road funds and quality materials, and the increasing costs of energy and all types of binder materials. In the 1950s, Professor L. H. Csanyi of Iowa State University had demonstrated both in the laboratory and in the field, in Iowa and in a number of foreign countries, the effectiveness of preparing low cost mixes by stabilizing ungraded local aggregates such as gravel, sand and loess with asphalt cements using the foamed asphalt process. In this process controlled foam was produced by introducing saturated steam at about 40 psi into heated asphalt cement at about 25 psi through a specially designed and properly adjusted nozzle. The reduced viscosity and the increased volume and surface energy in the foamed asphalt allowed intimate coating and mixing of cold, wet aggregates or soils. Through the use of asphalt cements in a foamed state, materials normally considered unsuitable could be used in the preparation of mixes for stabilized bases and surfaces for low traffic road construction. By attaching the desired number of foam nozzles, the foamed asphalt can be used in conjunction with any type of mixing plant, either stationary or mobile, batch or continuous, central plant or in-place soil stabilization.