Cruz defends 'voting violation' mailer - KWWL - Eastern Iowa Breaking News, Weather, Closings

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is defending a campaign mailer that Iowa's secretary of state says misrepresents election law.

The mailer bills itself as a "voting violation" notice and tells the recipient it's been sent due to "low expected voter turnout in your area." It then grades the recipient's voting history and that of several neighbors, citing public records.

Cruz told reporters in Sioux City, Iowa, on Saturday that the mailing is "routine."

He says he won't apologize for "using every tool we can" to encourage Iowa residents to vote.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate says in a statement that there's "no such thing" as an election violation related to voting frequency and that insinuating otherwise is "not in keeping in the spirit of the Iowa Caucuses."

(This is an update from the Associated Press...)