POLK COUNTY, Iowa — Absentee voting for Iowans began on Wednesday, Oct. 18, just weeks ahead of the Nov. 7 election.
Voters can cast their ballot in person at their county election office, and county auditors can also mail out absentee ballots to voters who requested them.
According to the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office, more than 5,500 Iowans have already requested an absentee ballot.
The deadline to request an absentee ballot is at 5 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 23, ensuring county auditors will receive all absentee ballots by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Ballots received after that time will not be counted in election results.
Each county has a different way of going about early and in-person voting, so you'll want to of course check out your county's website.
But most things remain consistent statewide in the in-person absentee voting process.
Once you get to your polling place, Dallas County auditor Julia Helm said you have to fill out an absentee request form.
Then, that form must be processed before receiving your ballot to fill out.
"It's just a nice option for voters who are going to be gone on Election Day, or who might need ...more time to vote," Helm explained.
To vote early, people can simply visit their county's election office.
For Dallas County residents, there are also satellite voting stations on Thursday at the Waukee School Administration Building and on Friday at Van Meter High School to cast your ballots.
To request an absentee ballot online, voters need to provide their:
- Name
- Date of birth
- Iowa residential address
- Driver’s license or Iowa Voter ID card pin
Voters will also need to include the name or date of the election for which they are requesting a ballot. All that information goes onto an absentee ballot request form.
On top of all that, they must accurately sign and date the form before delivering it to their county auditor, not a polling place. To find information on your county auditor, click here.
After receiving and filling out the ballot, it can be returned by mail or hand-delivered by the voter themselves, or a designated person — so long as that person is an immediate family member of the voter, a member of the voter’s household or the voter is disabled.
Polling places will not accept absentee ballots on Election Day.
Voters can track their absentee ballot status online at this link.
For more information about absentee voting in Iowa, here are some resources:
On Nov. 7, polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. CT.