Early voting begins soon. These are questions and comments workers always get

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are those of its author and do not represent the views or opinions of the Linn County Auditor’s Office.

It’s that time of year when I remind readers that in addition to my role as your friendly neighborhood opinion columnist, I also work part-time as an election official for early voting.

Early voting begins this Wednesday, Oct. 16 at every county auditor’s office statewide and some satellite voting locations. Here are some of the most common questions or comments my early voting colleagues and I receive.

“Why does it say ‘absentee’ if I’m voting in person?”

The phrase “absentee” is not limited to receiving and sending your ballot through the mail. Essentially, “absentee” means that the voter is absent from their assigned polling place on Election Day. According to state law, all early voting is absentee voting — even if a voter votes in person.

“I live a couple towns away. I can’t vote here, can I?”

Every voter in a county can vote at their county auditor’s office. Satellite voting stations almost always accommodate every voter in the county, as well.

That means that voters living in Marion can vote at a satellite location when visiting their elderly relatives at The Meth-Wick Community in Cedar Rapids’ northwest quadrant on Oct. 25, and voters living in Lone Tree can vote at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics when a satellite location is held there from Oct. 21 to Oct. 23 (among other locations.)

It is correct that a voter cannot cast their vote at any polling location outside their home county. If a voter living in a town such as Urbana in Benton County or Swisher in Johnson County works at Collins Aerospace in Cedar Rapids, they will not be able to visit Lindale Mall on their lunch break to vote early in Linn County.

“This is a lot of paperwork just to vote.”

We’ve already covered that “absentee” refers to any time a voter votes outside their Election Day polling location. Unlike other states such as Connecticut or Louisiana, Iowa doesn’t require an excuse to vote absentee. The only requirement in our state is that you put your intent in writing.

That fact helps clear up a key misunderstanding from many election security critics: In Iowa, an absentee ballot cannot be furnished to any voter who does not specifically request one.

An Iowa voter puts their intent in writing via the official absentee ballot request form, to which early voting workers frequently refer as the abbreviated “ABR.”

Like any good government form, the ABR requires some identifying information, including:

The voter’s name

Date of birth

Residential address

The name or date of the election

Driver’s license or non-driver’s ID number or four-digit voter ID card PIN

Signature and date

A voter wishing to vote by mail will send this form to their county auditor’s office. A voter wishing to vote early in person will have a blank form provided upon their arrival, which they will fill out and exchange for their ballot. State law requires that in-person early voters show an approved form of ID.

“I don’t have my driver's license with me. I guess I can’t vote right now, then.”

In addition to the Iowa Driver's License or Non-Operator ID, voters can prove their identity using any of the following:

Both the Iowa Driver’s License and Iowa Non-Operator’s ID can be expired for up to 90 days and still be used as voter ID. Other accepted forms of ID — passport, military, tribal IDs and out-of-state driver’s licenses — cannot be expired. Iowa Voter ID cards do not contain an expiration date.

Voters who need to register or update their registration also will need to prove their residency using any of the following:

“I know early voting started today, but the ballot I requested didn’t come.”

Absentee ballots will not arrive in the mail on the first day — that’s a guarantee.

Chapter 53 of Iowa Code, which prescribes the process to request and receive an absentee ballot, states that a county auditor may not mail ballots more than 20 days before an election. This means that elections office staff can only put the ballots in the mail on the first day of early voting. The soonest a mailed absentee ballot will ever arrive is the second day of the early voting period. This year, that’s Thursday, Oct. 17.

“Yeah, I requested an absentee ballot, but I’d rather just vote here.”

Occasionally, a voter who has already requested an absentee ballot decides they’d rather not wait for the ballot to arrive and vote early in person instead. That’s possible, but the voter will need to take additional steps with early voting staff to cancel the first ballot if they have not brought it with them to surrender.

If, after voting in person, that voter fills out and sends their mail ballot anyway — which for obvious reasons is strongly discouraged — the county will already have record of them voting, and the canceled ballot will not count.

If a voter intends to discard their canceled mail ballot, they should write “VOID” on the ballot and tear a corner off the ballot.

“Can I still have a ballot mailed to me?”

The deadline to request absentee ballots is only 8 days away — on Monday, Oct. 21 at 5 p.m. Voters who rely on the mail service for any part of the voting process should act promptly.

Election mail is handled via the U.S. Postal Service. While it is not this columnist’s intent to impugn the USPS, concerns have been raised by elected officials and private citizens alike that the overall volume of mail in the coming days and weeks could contribute to delays.

Voters who first need an absentee ballot request form mailed to them should reach out to their county auditor’s office first thing tomorrow morning, as receiving and sending back the request form will likely add several business days (two, at the very minimum) to the process.

If you have internet access and a printer, it’s faster to download and print an absentee ballot request form from the Iowa Secretary of State’s website. Instructions are included on the form — don’t gloss over them!

“I filled out my mail ballot, but I don’t want to put it in the mail. Can I just drop if off here?”

A completed mail ballot can only be dropped off at your county auditor’s office. Satellite voting locations cannot accept a completed mail ballot.

While we’re on the subject of dropped-off ballots — voters must either drop off their own ballot or designate a member of their household or their immediate family to drop it off for them.

Here’s where that gets a little confusing: for the purposes of ballot drop-off, Iowa law defines “immediate family member” as a family member “within the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity.”

That includes: A voter’s parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, niece/nephew, uncle/aunt, first cousin, great-grandparent, great-grandchild, great-aunt/uncle or great-niece/nephew. That also applies to in-laws.

A blind or disabled voter may, however, designate a “delivery agent” to return their ballot. That delivery agent can be anyone other than the voter’s employer, an agent of their employer, their union rep or a person acting on behalf of a political party, candidate or political committee.

(Yes, that’s a lot of specifics. Welcome to election law.)

“Can I get my ballot now and bring it back later?”

No. All in-person early voters must complete their ballot in the voting area and deposit it properly before they leave.

“Where’s the machine that we’re supposed to put our ballots in?”

There is no ballot scanner at early voting sites. Much like mailed ballots, ballots voted at an in-person early voting location remain sealed until they are opened and counted no sooner than the day before Election Day. State law requires that each county record the receipt of a completed ballot and securely store it until it is counted.

I’m sure the election security-conscious voter can appreciate that election workers can’t go into detail about how each county records and stores sealed ballots, but this columnist and election worker has it on good authority that the ballot cast early is cast ever so securely.

If you haven’t yet made a plan to vote, now is the time to do so. Early voting is a great service for thousands of Iowa voters. The process may be slightly different, but the purpose is the same — and so is the ballot. And just like on Election Day, you’ll leave wearing that famous “I Voted” sticker.

Comments: 319-398-8266; althea.cole@thegazette.com