Voting process safeguards

By Joel Miller

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In his Nov. 17 letter, Jon Volz claims that absentee ballots cast for Liz Mathis in the Iowa Senate 18 special election are suspicious. His basis: skepticism about voter registration records in Chicago and skepticism about people who do not physically cast their vote in-person.

There was no “remarkable comeback” as stated by Volz. Absentee votes are requested and voted over the course of many days during any given election. Absentee ballots are counted on Election Day by a bipartisan team of precinct election officials and results are reported as soon as polls close on election night.

The election results simply show that more supporters for Liz Mathis requested and voted absentee ballots than did supporters for Cindy Golding. While more Golding supporters voted at the polls, Mathis supporters outpaced Golding supporters in overall participation.

I ask that Volz and other voters speak to members of their local political party who are involved with the elections process and/or the Linn County Auditor's Office to become better informed about how elections are administered in Iowa.

Facts about voter registration in Iowa:

l Those registering to vote must have their identity and residency verified through agencies that administer driver's licenses, Social Security records and U.S. mail delivery.

l On a quarterly basis, the voter registration database is compared with state records to remove voters who are now deceased or who have lost the right to vote because of a felony conviction.

l On an annual basis, the voter registration database is compared with records from the U.S. Postal Service to update records based on address changes.

Facts about absentee voting:

l You must be registered to vote in Linn County to receive a Linn County absentee ballot.

l Absentee ballots are only issued from the Auditor's Office.

l All affidavit envelopes received for an election are checked in by Auditor's Office staff to ensure the ballot was issued by our office and that the envelopes are signed and sealed.

l All received affidavit envelopes with ballots are stored in a locked ballot room until Election Day.

l On Election Day, a bipartisan team of precinct election officials reviews the affidavit envelopes to ensure they are signed and sealed and then proceeds to count the ballots. Poll watchers from the Republican and Democrat parties observe.

l The results of all precincts, including the absentee and special voter precinct, are reviewed and certified by the Linn County Board of Supervisors.

Joel Miller is Linn County's auditor. Comments: Joel.Miller@linncounty.org