Early voting begins in Iowa, including busy Floyd County Auditor’s Office

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

The 2024 general election is officially underway and votes are already coming in at the Floyd County Auditor’s Office.

“We’ve been busy since Wednesday with lots of counter activity,” said County Auditor Gloria Carr.

Early voting started on Oct. 16 with the auditor’s office mailing out 700 ballots requested by county residents.

Between ballots that have been mailed out and what the state calls “absentee in-person” votes cast at the auditor’s office, more than 1,200 voters have already participated in the election.

The election in 2020 saw 45% of the vote cast early, up from 32% in 2016. However, comparisons with previous elections are difficult to make as circumstances are dramatically different in 2024.

The COVID-19 Pandemic had a significant impact on how people cast their ballots in 2020 and Iowa’s window for advance voting has been cut in half since 2016.

“I kind of expected it to be busier because of the shorter window,” said Carr.

Whether it’s voting absentee or on Election Day, Carr anticipates that turnout for Floyd County’s 10,000 registered voters will remain reasonably consistent.

“We usually get about 80 to 85 percent turnout in a presidential election,” said Carr.

The deadline to request a ballot through the mail has already come and gone, but ballots can still be acquired in-person at the auditor’s office.

Whether returned through the mail or personally brought back, ballots must be back at the auditor’s office by 8 p.m. on election night to be counted, with few exceptions.

“For military and overseas voters, there’s a little bit of grace time for them,” said Carr.

The auditor’s office is regularly open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. during the week and will have some opportunities for weekend voting ahead of the election, such as being open on Saturday, Nov. 2, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 4, will be the last day for early voting at the Auditor’s Office. After that, voters will have to cast their ballot at the designated polling place for their precinct.

Carr reminds voters that ID is required for voting and for same-day registration.

For voters with mobility concerns, curbside voting is available for both absentee voting at the courthouse and at polling places on Election Day. Phone numbers will be posted at polling places that can be used to have poll workers bring out a ballot to a vehicle if a voter would have difficulty making it inside.

Once the polls close on Nov. 5, the counting will commence. Unofficial election results will be posted on the county website, social media and secretary of state website throughout the evening.

For Carr herself, this will be her last election as Floyd County auditor.

“I’m just praying for smooth sailing and not to go out with anything that hits the AP,” joked Carr, referring to the Associated Press news.