40 days of voting off to slow start

By James Q. Lynch 

The Gazette

Despite a crowded primary election ballot, Iowa's 40-day “Election Day” is not off to a fast start.

“In a lot of ways, it will be June 8 for the next 40 days,” Iowa Secretary of State Mike Mauro said Thursday, the first day Iowans could cast absentee ballots in the June 8 primary election.

Corridor auditors expect the pace will pick up as Election Day approaches.

“We've had one voter,” Linn County Deputy Commissioner of Elections Tim Box said about 3:30 p.m.

In Johnson County, Deputy Auditor Amanda Stahle reported “a couple” of voters Thursday morning along with 74 requests for absentee ballots.

Seven people had voted by shortly after 5 p.m., Auditor Tom Slockett said.

With most of the action on the Republican side of the primary ballot, Stahle said it is possible absentee voting won't reach typical Johnson County levels. Republicans account for about 19 percent, or 16,390, of the 86,964 registered voters in Johnson County.

“Although this is a very Democratic county, we have one of highest populations of Republicans in the state, so that can pick up,” Slockett said.

There's interest in the top of the ticket races – a three-way race for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination, a three-way race for the GOP gubernatorial spot and a four-way race for the GOP nomination in Iowa's 2

^nd

District, Slockett said it's local races that drive primary turnout.

In Johnson County, there is one Democratic legislative primary pitting Rep. Dave Jacoby against challenger John Stellmach, both of Coralville.

Box called the opening-day activity typical, especially for a primary. In a primary, voters have to register as a Democrat or Republican, “so they have to make a decision which ballot to ask for and maybe they aren't ready yet,” he said.

In 2008, he said, Linn County had three to five voters in the first few days of voting. Gradually it increased “and jumped up in late May,” Box said.

In addition to voting at auditor's offices, satellite voting will be available. In Linn County, there will be satellite voting from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 8 at the Marion Public Library.

Satellite voting hours and locations in Johnson County can be found at http://www.johnson-county.com/auditor/voter/1006sat.htm.

Stahle reported sending out about 160 military absentee ballots. Box said he'd mailed 67 military ballots and e-mailed another 31.

For the first time, Iowans the ability to track their absentee ballot through the entire balloting process with an online tool, Mauro said. It can be accessed by clicking on the “Track Your Absentee Ballot” link at www.iowavotes.gov.

Absentee voters will be able to view the date their absentee ballot request was processed by the auditor, the date the ballot was mailed and the date the voted ballot was received by the auditor.

The tracking system is based on the Military and Overseas Voters Empowerment Act (MOVE Act) approved by Congress last year. It required states to develop an online absentee ballot tracking system for overseas military voters. Mauro decided to make this feature available to all of Iowa's early voters.

Iowans can request an absentee ballot until June 4.

For more information on absentee voting or the upcoming Primary Election, visit www.iowavotes.gov.