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INTERMEDIATE: Maryland’s top election officials are facing renewed scrutiny from Congressional Republicans after the state’s election supervisor refused to provide accurate answers regarding the state’s voter names after it was discovered that an immigrant who works as a superintendent of a large school in Iowa was allegedly registered to vote in Maryland, Fox News Digital said.
“Maryland’s chief election officer has failed to provide complete answers, leaving major concerns unresolved — particularly whether Ian Roberts ever received a live vote and whether the state implemented new citizenship verification procedures after this critical report,” said Wisconsin Republican Rep. Bryan Steil.
“This case underscores the urgent need for stricter citizenship verification requirements when registering to vote – reaffirmed by President Trump yesterday in his meeting with House lawmakers,” he continued. “The Committee’s investigation will continue.”
Steil is the chairman of the House Committee on Housing. He and Vice Chairman Laurel Lee, R-Fla., sent a letter to Maryland State Board of Elections Supervisor Jared DeMarinis in December 2025, seeking answers about illegal immigrant Ian Andre Roberts’ registration to vote in the state despite not having US citizenship. Roberts is originally from Guyana with ties to the US dating back to the 1990s.
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Former Des Moines manager Ian Andre Roberts was arrested by ICE and charged. (Polk County Sheriff)
The House Management Committee directs the operation and oversight of the House and is also charged with considering proposals to amend the federal election law.
The committee pressed for answers to questions such as: “Is Roberts still a registered voter in Maryland?;” “Has Mr. Roberts ever voted in Maryland? If so, in which election(s) did he vote?;” “Has Mr. Roberts ever cast an absentee ballot? If so, in what election?” and “How does the State Board of Elections fulfill its obligations under 52 USC §20507 to conduct a regular program to remove ineligible voters from the rolls?”
Fox News Digital exclusively obtained DeMarinis’ response letter to the House House Committee on House Judiciary, which defended the state’s voter registration program but stopped short of confirming whether Roberts, an illegal immigrant later arrested by ICE, was ever mailed a absentee ballot or is still registered to vote.
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“While no voter should be on the Maryland voting rolls if they are not a citizen of the United States, being on the voter list is not the same as voting in an election. This is an important distinction as we investigate potential illegal activity and possible prosecution,” DeMarinis wrote in Monday’s response letter.
House Management Committee Chairman Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., speaks at a press conference and is flanked by his committee colleagues. (House Management Committee)
The Maryland State Director of Elections has acknowledged questions from the House Administration Committee specifically as they relate to Roberts, but could not provide definitive information.
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“Regarding the Committee’s inquiries regarding Ian Andre Roberts, the SBE does not and cannot confirm that a voter’s identity matches another voter record in another country, based on publicly available information,” he wrote. “Even in some states, such as Maryland, public information from such voter tracking is restricted to protect personally identifiable information (PII) from disclosure. Public voter tracking tools are not designed to perform voter registration procedures. Therefore, the SBE cannot confirm whether or not the person in question is or has not been or has voted as a registered voter in Maryland.”
He added that public voting history in Maryland did not show results that “any person with the name Ian Andre Roberts in Maryland” has a history of voting in a blue state.
Maryland Republican Delegate Matt Morgan, chairman of the Maryland Freedom Caucus, told Fox Digital on Wednesday, “The Maryland State Board of Elections is dropping the ball.”
“By failing to comply with a basic request for data, they are fueling suspicions,” he said. “Their main job is to prove that our elections are secure and limited to citizens, yet they chose to hide things from the open. If there is nothing to hide, why withhold data? It’s time for the SBE to stop dodging questions and start giving answers.”
Roberts’ voter registration documents have faced scrutiny from conservationists, including the Maryland state board. election released redacted versions of the files in November that covered how Roberts answered the citizenship question.
Voting booths are available on Election Day. (Paul Richards/AFP via Getty Images)
DeMarinis said the overhaul of “voter record production is done through the use of general information requests under the Maryland Public Information Act, rather than direct voter record requests.”
“When it became known, a redacted record was produced. The redacted information was redacted in accordance with State and federal laws that allow the withholding of certain voter information. Federal law requires redaction of the source of voter registration,” he said, referring to a revised release of documents that showed Roberts had reported that he was a US citizen on his ballot application.
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Roberts served as superintendent of the Des Moines school district, Iowa’s largest school district, when he was arrested in October. The state revoked Roberts’ teaching license following his arrest and he no longer serves as the district’s top leader.
Republicans say Ian Andre Roberts, an immigrant registered to vote in Maryland, raises serious concerns about the state’s voting systems. (Photo by Keith Srakocic/AP and ICE)
He initially tried to flee from law enforcement, according to the Department of Homeland Security, and was found in possession of $3,000 in cash, a Glock 9 mm pistol and a hunting knife when he was arrested.
The charges are the latest in a long rap sheet that dates back to 1996, federal officials said earlier.
“Finally, it is important to remember as our guiding principle that as the Maryland Declaration of Rights states, ‘the right of the People to participate in the Legislature is the best security of liberty and the foundation of all free Government; . . . and all citizens with the qualifications set forth by the Constitution, should have the right to vote,'” DeMarinis concluded his letter.
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Fox News Digital reached out to DeMarinis’ office Wednesday about Steil’s comments but did not immediately receive a response.
