Absentee voting open now for city/school general election

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Absentee voting has been available for more than a week now for the general election which will be held Nov. 5 to elect members for city and school district offices.

Voters can cast ballots in person now at the Floyd County Auditor’s Office during regular office hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 25, Friday, Nov. 1, and Monday, Nov. 4.

Applications to be mailed an absentee ballot must be received in the county auditor’s office by 5 p.m. on Oct. 25. Applications are available at the auditor’s office or online at the Floyd County Auditor’s Office election website, www.floydcoia.org/172.

Floyd County Auditor Gloria Carr, whose position also includes being commissioner of elections, said her office has already received 71 requests for absentee ballots.

She said this election may seem more complicated than previous elections because of a number of changes that have been made, but going forward the changes should make voting easier.

This is the first election where city and school board elections have been combined on the November general election day. Previously, school board elections were held separately in September.

The change was made by the Iowa Legislature to reduce costs and to encourage higher voter turnout.

Because of some of the other changes, voters may be voting in a different location than they previously did, especially from where they previously voted for school board elections.

Starting this election, voters will always vote in the same place that they vote for presidential and governor elections, Carr said.

“It’s the simplest thing,” she said. “Polling places are now the same regardless of the type of the election.”

Carr said every registered voter whose polling place changed was sent a letter last Friday with information on where they will vote from now on, along with a request for an absentee ballot that the voters can send in if they choose to.

The voting law changes will affect every voter who used to go outside his or her county to vote in a school election.

For example, voters in Chickasaw County who are in the Charles City School District used to have to come to a polling place in Floyd County to vote, and voters who live in Floyd County but who are in the North Butler, Central Springs, Osage or Nashua-Plainfield school districts used to have to go to Butler, Worth, Mitchell or Chickasaw county polling spots.

Now voters will vote for school issues at their regular polling spot, regardless of which school district their residence is in.

That makes things more complicated for the auditor’s office, Carr said, because now they have to have ballots available that include the information for all those additional school districts.

“There’s lots of changes that get really confusing, but the simple part is, wherever they vote in a presidential or gubernatorial election, in Floyd County that’s where they’re going to vote for every election,” Carr said.

This is also the first election where voters will need to present a valid form of identification to vote.

While voter ID has been requested for the last couple of elections, voters were also able to have a fellow voter attest to their identity, or do an oath themselves they they are who they say they are.

“That’s no longer going to be an option,” Carr said.

Voters will now need a valid ID, which could be an Iowa driver’s license or Iowa non-operator ID, Iowa voter identification card with 4-digit pin number, an unexpired U.S. passport, military or veteran ID, or tribal ID or card.

The ID must show the same address as the address you are registered to vote at. Addresses can be updated at the polling place on a new voter registration form, with a document that shows the current address, such as a lease, utility bill or phone bill, bank statement, paycheck, etc., either in printed or electronic form.

Asked if she expects any problems with the ID requirement this year, Carr said poll workers have gotten “a little friction” from a few voters in each election where voter ID was requested.

“I think that there will be some people who will maybe try to make it an issue,” Carr said, since an ID will now be required.

She urged anyone who disagrees with the state voter ID requirement to take it up with their legislators.

“This should not be taken out on the poll workers,” she said. “They’re just trying to enforce what’s in place.”

Voters can go to the Iowa secretary of state website, sos.iowa.gov, to confirm their voter registration status, or to register or update their registration.

Carr said people can also go to or call her office with questions, at 641-257-6131.