Polk County District Court today scheduled a full-day evidentiary hearing for July 21, 2026 in the legal challenge brought by Libertarian gubernatorial candidates Nicholas Gluba and Jules Cutler after the State Objection Panel voted to remove them from Iowa’s 2026 general election ballot.
During today’s hearing, the judge determined the case will proceed to a full evidentiary hearing in district court rather than returning to the State Objection Panel. The court will allow the parties to present relevant evidence, compel witness testimony through subpoenas, and fully develop the factual record before issuing a final decision. The hearing is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 21st, and the judge stated he intends to issue a final ruling by July 29th.
The July 21st hearing will allow witnesses to testify under oath before the district court and give the parties the opportunity to present evidence that was not available during the June 15th proceedings before the State Objection Panel.
Among the issues expected to be explored at the hearing are communications within the Secretary of State’s Office regarding Ms. Cutler’s affidavit of candidacy, as well as the campaign’s request for security camera footage from the Lucas State Office Building.
According to documents filed the affidavit of candidacy issue was raised during the review of the nomination papers by an out-of-state attorney based in Washington, D.C. An elections specialist in the Secretary of State’s Office, Danielle King, responded that Ms. Cutler’s affidavit of candidacy was not yet due and could not be subject to an objection. King has been subpoenaed to testify at the July 21st evidentiary hearing regarding her understanding of compliance with Iowa election law.
The campaign also sought security camera footage from inside and outside the Lucas State Office Building related to the filing of its nomination papers. According to the campaign, it was initially informed that the footage was being preserved, but after serving a subpoena was later told the recordings had been deleted. The campaign contends the deletion occurred despite the State’s stated 60-day retention policy.
“Iowans deserve real choices on their ballot—not decisions shaped by political insiders who don’t answer to Iowa voters,” said Jules Cutler. “We’re looking forward to presenting the facts under oath so Iowans can see exactly what happened. This campaign is about giving Iowans another choice, and we’re going to keep fighting to make sure they get to make it.”
Gluba and Cutler filed suit after the State Objection Panel voted on June 15th to sustain an objection to their nomination papers, removing the Libertarian ticket from the November ballot. The campaign argues the panel’s decision violated due process and is asking the court to restore the ticket to the November ballot.
The evidentiary hearing is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 21st, in Polk County District Court.
