Marion Public Library to host ‘early’ satellite voting site

MARION - The Marion Public Library will host a satellite voting station later this month following a request by Linn County Supervisor Brent Oleson to add the site.

The county on Wednesday announced the addition of the satellite early voting station 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., July 20, at the 1095 Sixth Ave. library. Voting will be for a Linn County special election - to be held Aug. 1 - on the county's representation plan, which determines how future members of the county's Board of Supervisors are elected.

Auditor Joel Miller said satellite voting sites typically follow a petition from the public, but it's not unheard of to grant one following an individual request. The county has hosted satellites at Hy-Vee stores in the past.

Miller said his chief concern is getting enough voters to justify the staffing and resources needed for a satellite site. The site could cost around $2,000, he said.

'This was kind of an experiment in a good-faith effort to see whether or not (Oleson) can deliver voters to the satellite,” Miller said. 'The Marion library last fall was a very productive place for us ...

but these satellites, they're never a guarantee.”

Oleson, who represents Central City, Marion and Bertram as the county's District 4 supervisor, requested the satellite voting location in June.

Oleson said he hopes the library polling site brings in at least 100 people, but also predicts the Aug. 1 election will suffer from low turnout.

'You're not going to vote for a person ...,

you're voting for a process,” he said. 'And it's August, it's the worst possible time to have an election.”

Residents from any Linn County precinct can vote at a satellite location.

Miller added the deadline has passed for any other satellite petitions.

Oleson, who has supported the county's current district representation plan, said he believes voters outside of Cedar Rapids do, too.

'I can't say all, but most people in Marion support districts because they know that's the only way they can guarantee representation on the Board of Supervisors,” Oleson said.

Oleson noted Marion voters strongly supported moving from at-large representation to districts about 10 years ago, and in 2015 the Marion City Council signed a resolution supporting a five-member board over one with three supervisors.

In November, Linn County voters chose to reduce the board's size from five to three, and earlier this year a petition calling for a special election on the county representation plan was verified by the county auditor's office.

Linn County residents also can vote in-person at the Auditor's Office's Election Services department in the Jean Oxley Public Service Center, 935 Second St. SW in Cedar Rapids. The office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Absentee ballots also can be mailed to voters, who must return the ballot to the office by July 31.

On the ballot, residents will select from three options for a county representation plan, which dictates how voters select their county supervisors.

' Districts: Keep the current representation plan, in which voters in each district vote for a supervisor who lives in that district.

' At-large district: Voters countywide vote on supervisors who live within specific districts.

' At-large: Voters countywide vote on all three supervisors. Districts are eliminated.

For the Aug. 1 election, Linn County Election Services has combined a few polling locations due to traditionally low voter turnout.

The following polling locations will combine services, but not change location:

' Cedar Rapids 7 and 15

' Cedar Rapids 43 and 44

' Hiawatha 2 and 3

' Monroe Township 1 and Hiawatha 4.

Cedar Rapids 17 and 22 will combine and be relocated to First Lutheran Church, 1000 Third Ave. SE, while Clinton Township and Cedar Rapids 31 will combine and be relocated to Cedar Hills Community Church, 6455 E. Avenue NW.

In addition, three precincts will have new locations:

' Cedar Rapids's precinct 24 will be relocated to Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1285 Third Ave. SE

' Marion 2 will be relocated to Thomas Park Safe Room, 343 Marion Blvd.

' Grant Township will be located at Walker City Park Gazebo, 309 Park St.

The remainder of Linn County's 86 precincts will remain unchanged, with the above polling location combinations in place for future elections.

l Comments: (319) 339-3175; mitchell.schmidt@thegazette.com