Election Essentials Absentee Voting
Election Essentials is a weekly series of articles offering a variety of information regarding elections in Iowa and Allamakee County prior to this year’s November 5 General Election. The information is being provided courtesy of Allamakee County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections Denise Beyer.
With the General Election in less than one month, Tuesday, November 5, 2024, voters may be considering whether they will vote at the polls, or vote absentee, prior to Election Day. There are two options for voting absentee in Iowa: In person at the auditor’s office, or by mail. In Iowa the term “absentee” refers to voting prior to Election Day, regardless of the method.
ABSENTEE VOTING FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION
Iowa law allows for “no excuse” absentee voting. This means any voter can vote absentee, if they choose, without an “excuse”. The timeline for absentee voting for the General Election is as follows:
Tuesday, August 27 was the first day voters wanting to receive a ballot by mail could start submitting Absentee Ballot Request (ABR) forms to the Auditor’s office.
Wednesday, October 16 is the first day that ballots may be mailed to voters who have submitted an ABR. This is also the first day to vote in-person at the Auditor’s office.
Monday, October 21 at 5 p.m. is the deadline for a voter to request an absentee ballot to be mailed. The Auditor’s office is open until 5 p.m. October 21 is also the last day to pre-register to have their name in the voter registry at the polls on Election Day.
Saturday, November 2, the last Saturday before Election Day, the Auditor’s office is required to be open and the Allamakee County Auditor’s office will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for in-person absentee voting.
Monday, November 4 is the last day to vote absentee in-person at the Auditor’s office. On Election Day, voters must vote at their assigned precinct.
Tuesday, November 5 at 8:00 p.m. is the deadline for the Auditor’s office to receive and count a mailed absentee ballot. See “Deadline for returning a ballot” below.
HOW TO REQUEST AN ABSENTEE BALLOT BY MAIL
To request a ballot by mail, a voter must submit a completed Absentee Ballot Request (ABR) form to the Auditor’s office up through October 21 at 5:00 p.m. Voters should double check that all required fields are filled in on the ABR. Voters may call to request an ABR be mailed to them, pick one up at the Auditor’s office, go to https://allamakeecountyelections.iowa.gov/ or scan the QR code at the end of this article to print an ABR. Completed forms can be mailed to Allamakee County Auditor, 110 Allamakee Street, Waukon, IA 52172.
PREPARING THE ABSENTEE BALLOT PACKET FOR RETURN
Instructions, the ballot, a yellow Secrecy Sleeve and the Return Affidavit envelope are all enclosed in the delivery envelope to voters who request an absentee ballot by mail. The yellow Secrecy Sleeve is open on two adjacent sides and is clearly labeled Secrecy Sleeve on the outside. The voter should vote the ballot and fold the ballot to fit into the Secrecy Sleeve, put the folded ballot in the Secrecy Sleeve and put the Secrecy Sleeve in the Return Affidavit envelope.
The very important final steps are to seal and sign the Return Affidavit envelope.
Who can return a ballot for a voter is restricted to someone living in the voter’s household or an immediate family member as defined in Iowa Code section 53.33. A voter who is blind or physically disabled may designate a delivery agent to return their voted absentee ballot. For instructions on designating a delivery agent, contact the Auditor’s office.
A voter can confirm their ballot was received by going to https://sos.iowa.gov/ and clicking Track My Absentee Ballot on the right side of the screen. The voter must enter their first and last name, date of birth and zip code.
DEADLINE FOR RETURNING A BALLOT
Once a voter has the Return Affidavit envelope stuffed, sealed and signed, they can return the ballot via the U.S. Postal Service, if time allows, or deliver it by hand to the Auditor’s office up until 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Postage for all Return Affidavit ballot envelopes is pre-paid by the Auditor’s office. There is not a ballot specific drop box in Allamakee County. Iowa Code §53.33 states who can return a ballot on behalf of a voter. If a voter wishes to have someone return their ballot by hand for them and has questions related to who can return their ballot, they should contact the Auditor’s office at 563-568-3522.
No matter which method is used for ballot return, the deadline for the ballot to be received and counted is the close of polls on Election Day, at 8:00 p.m, November 5, 2024. There is no longer postmark date consideration. The exception to this is Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) voters and Safe-at-Home voters, whose ballots can be counted if received by noon on the Monday following the election if they are postmarked November 4 or before. For the General Election, the Monday deadline is moved to noon on Tuesday following the election due to the Monday, November 10, Veterans Day holiday.
FIXING A DEFICIENT OR DEFECTIVE ABSENTEE BALLOT
Two common issues seen by the Auditor’s office are ballots missing signatures or ballots where the envelope has been ripped open and taped back shut.
SIGNATURE REQUIRED: Voters must sign the highlighted yellow box on the outside envelope. If the outer envelope is not signed when received by the Auditor’s office, the Auditor must contact the voter by calling, if a phone number is available, and send a letter. Unsigned envelopes cannot be opened or ballot counted until the signature is obtained on the envelope.
POSSIBLE TAMPERING: A Return Affidavit envelope that has been torn open and taped back shut must be handled as “defective” by the Auditor’s office staff because they do not know who opened and taped the envelope, and it could have been tampered with. Auditor staff will call, if a number is available, and send a letter to offer the voter options to remedy the defective ballot. Voters should double check that they have signed their envelope before returning it and call the Auditor’s office if they have to reopen their sealed return envelope for any reason.
VOTING ABSENTEE IN PERSON
A voter who wishes to vote absentee in person in the Auditor’s office will show their ID and fill out a ballot request form, signing an envelope in two places - once to acknowledge requesting a ballot and once to confirm eligibility to vote in the election. After voting, the voter will place their ballot in a yellow Secrecy Sleeve and then in the ballot envelope, seal the envelope and return it to the staff person. Anyone with questions about how absentee ballots are stored and/or counted should call the Auditor’s office.
HEALTH CARE FACILITY VOTING
The Auditor sends a bipartisan team to each Health Care Facility (HCF) for all regular elections. The Activity Director at each HCF gets ABR forms completed for residents who wish to vote. The Auditor’s office prepares an absentee packet for each HCF voter for the team to deliver. If requested by the voter, the bipartisan team can assist a voter with reading and/or marking their ballot, which requires the voter and HCF team also signing a Voter Requesting Assistance form.
If assistance is requested in marking the ballot, one member of the bipartisan team marks the ballot and the other ensures the voter’s desired vote is correctly marked. The HCF team makes sure all ballot envelopes are sealed and signed and returns all ballots to the Auditor’s office to be secured until Election Day when they are opened and counted.
QUESTIONS? CONTACT THE AUDITOR
The Auditor’s office should be the trusted source for all election questions and information. Auditor Denise Beyer warns against believing everything you read on social media and the internet. Even local TV and radio news can be confusing or misleading as they often talk about what is happening in other states, or issues and topics that do not apply to Iowa elections. Anyone with questions regarding this topic or any other election law or process should call the Allamakee County Auditor’s office at 563-568-3522.
