IOWA - A lawsuit claims some Iowa counties are illegally accepting private grants to cover staffing costs for the upcoming election.
Blackhawk and Scott counties are being sued by the Iowa Voters Alliance for taking grant money from a non-profit group.
The lawsuit claims the non-profit is focused on turning out progressive voters, while the non-profit's website says its purpose is to improve the voting process.
Iowa Voters Alliance is being backed in the suit by a Chicago based anti-abortion group, which has brought similar legal action in some other states.
The non-profit group named in the suit is the Center for Tech and Civic Life. The Chicago based anti-abortion organization is the Thomas More Society, which has unsuccessfully brought similar litigation in lawsuits in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.
The lawsuit say Black Hawk County received $267,500, and Scott County received $286,870 from the Center for Tech and Civic Life. Both counties tend to vote Democratic.