Early voting opens today in Iowa

By Kate Hayden | khayden@charlescitypress.com

For voters who have made up their minds in a contentious presidential election, casting ballots doesn’t have to wait until November.

Thursday marks the first day of absentee voting in Iowa, giving voters a choice between mailing in a ballot and early voting in-person at the county courthouse.

“We’ve mailed out about 900 absentee ballots by mail so far” since last Friday, Floyd County Auditor Gloria Carr said.

In 2012, more than 30 million people had already voted in 34 states and the District of Columbia before the election, according to a Charles City Press report at that time.

An estimated 42.5 percent of voters chose an absentee ballot in Floyd County in 2012, slightly lower than the 42.8 percent of voters to cast as absentee in 2008, Carr said.

Absentee ballot use is slightly lower during non-presidential election years: 37.3 percent of voters cast as absentee in 2010, and 39.5 percent of voters were absentee in 2014, according to Carr.

Campaigns may push early voters to submit their ballots, but for county workers, Carr said, having an early stack of ballots doesn’t mean they can start counting before Nov. 8.

“Those ballots by Iowa law cannot be opened up. It’s just a convenience for the voters,” Carr said. “It does put some relief on the polling places.”

To vote early, voters can download and print an absentee ballot application online through the Iowa Secretary of State’s website, sos.iowa.gov. Applications must be mailed so they are received by 5 p.m. on Nov. 5.

After receiving a ballot by mail, voters can fill it out and return their ballot to the county auditor’s office by Nov. 7.

Early polls are also available to voters in person at the Floyd County Auditor’s Office. Voting in person will be available up until 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 7, Carr said.

Early voters can visit the courthouse from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on two Saturdays, Oct. 29 and Nov. 5 to cast their votes, Carr added.

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