Choice 1

I PLAN TO VOTE EARLY, IN PERSON

VOTE EARLY AT THE JOHNSON COUNTY AUDITOR’S OFFICE
Starts October 19 and ends Nov. 7th – the day before the election.

Locations:

The Johnson County Auditor’s office will offer both voting in two locations this year.
1) The Administration Building Lobby –913 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City and
2) drive-through voting at the nearby Health and Human Services parking ramp –855 S. Dubuque St.

Hours:

October 19th through November 7th:
Monday through Friday / 8am to 5pm

Plus two weekend days:
Saturday, November 5th / 9am – 5pm  and
Sunday, November 6th / 9am – 3pm

VOTE EARLY AT A SATELLITE LOCATION

Choice 2

VOTE BY REQUESTING AN ABSENTEE BALLOT THROUGH THE MAIL

DEADLINES FOR MAKING A REQUEST FOR AN ABSENTEE BALLOT BY MAIL

You must request an absentee ballot for every election.  The form is available here https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/pdf/absenteeballotapp.pdf  Copies of this form can be requested from the Auditor’s office.  Johnson County Democratic Headquarters will also have copies of this form.  Call them if you don’t have a printer and need help getting a form.  Phone number is 319-337-8683 (VOTE).

There is a new rule that you have to “show your ID” on the absentee ballot request form.
You need to write down your Iowa driver’s license number or the number from your non-operators ID.  If you don’t have one of those, you need to provide the four digit Voter PIN located on your Iowa Voter ID Card.  If you don’t have an Iowa ID, or your PIN, contact the Auditor’s office at 319-356-6004.  The Auditor’s office can ask you some questions to establish your identity and provide you with your PIN.  Note that if you vote at a satellite voting location, or vote in person on election day, a broader range of documents are allowed for establishing your ID.

Deadline for Requesting the Absentee Ballot
For the November 8th election, the deadline for requesting an absentee ballot is October 24th, 5pm.  Ballots will be mailed out on October 19th for those people who have submitted their absentee ballot request forms.  After that date, ballots are mailed as absentee ballot requests are received from voters.  Note that since the time window is so short many voters are better off voting early in person.  If that is not an option for whatever reason, just submit the absentee ballot request form as soon as possible.

Absentee ballot request forms can be hand delivered to the Auditor’s office, but may not be put in the ballot drop box.  Bring it to the desk at the Administration building – in Johnson County that would be at 913 S. Dubuque St. in Iowa City.

If you need another person to take your absentee ballot request form to the Auditor’s office, that person should turn in the request within 72 hours, or before the deadline of October 24th, 5pm, whichever is sooner.  Note that dropping off a voted ballot is a very different thing, and restrictive rules apply.  See below.

HOW TO TRACK YOUR REQUEST AND YOUR ABSENTEE BALLOT

It’s a very good idea to keep track of whether your absentee ballot request was received, and to find out when your ballot was mailed.  When you return your ballot, you can also check at this site to see if the ballot was received. https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/absenteeballotstatus/absentee/search

RETURNING YOUR BALLOT

Return it by mail no later than October 26
You can mail your ballot, but that is not recommended any later than October 26th, due to possible slowness with the mail.  The postage is prepaid.

Return it yourself in person -deadline 8pm November 8th
It is safest to drop off your ballot at the ballot drop-box which is located near the Johnson County Auditor’s office, or bring the ballot into the lobby of the Auditor’s office and hand it in at the desk. All ballots must be returned by 8pm on election day, November 8th, or they can’t be counted.  Note that this is a new restriction on voting – even if postmarked prior to the election, if it has not physically arrived by 8pm on election day it can’t be counted.

What to do if you need help returning your ballot
The rules on this have become very restrictive.  Your options are:

• • • Ask a relative to return your ballot
    • Ask a member of your household to return your ballot
    • If you are in residential nursing care or assisted living, you can ask a caregiver or another person to return your ballot.  The Auditor’s office may bring a bi-partisan team to your facility to help people vote, so look for that opportunity.  The Auditor’s office phone number is 319-356-6004.
    • If none of the above applies, and you are blind or disabled, you can ask another person to return your ballot, but they have to have your written permission, leave a receipt with you, and approach the Auditor’s office in person and swear an oath.  Follow the instructions that came with your ballot.  One person may only return two ballots in this manner.

VOTE IN PERSON ON ELECTION DAY

DATE AND TIME:
Tuesday, November 8th, 2022 / 7am – 8pm

Hours are 7am-8pm ***Note the earlier close!
Your employer is obligated to allow up to two hours time off with no cut in pay for you to get to your polling place to vote.

WHERE TO VOTE:

You must vote at the polling place that is located in the precinct where you live.  Some precinct boundaries and polling places have changed.   On election day, November 8th early voting at the Auditor’s office will be closed.
Here is a way to find out which precinct you live in, and where the polling place is.  On the right, type in your address, and that information will be listed.
https://gis.johnsoncountyiowa.gov/pollingplaces/

If you arrive at a polling place which is not in your correct precinct, do not vote a provisional ballot.  That ballot cannot be counted.  Go to the correct polling place for your precinct instead.

WHAT ARE THE VALID FORMS OF ID TO SHOW ON ELECTION DAY?:

A valid ID is required to vote in person. Check out the list of Iowa ID requirements for voting below.

• • • Iowa Driver’s License
    • Iowa Non-Operator ID
    • Iowa Voter Identification Card (with PIN number and signature line)
    • U.S. Military ID or Veteran ID
    • U.S. Passport
    • Tribal ID Card/Document

  Note that if you don’t have an Iowa driver’s license or ID, you can ask the County Auditor’s office for a voter identification card.  The Johnson County Auditor’s office phone number is 319-356-6004.  They are allowed to issue you a voter identification card through the mail.  Only bother with this option if you don’t have an Iowa driver’s license or non operator ID.  This option is available until the pre-registration deadline closes, through October 24th.  If that deadline has passed, talk to the Auditor’s office about finding a valid form of ID.

  If your ID does not show your current address, (and you do not have a pre-registration on file with your correct current address), you will be asked for proof of where you live.  The proof must have your name, your address, and be valid within 45 days.  The proof can be in electronic form, such as a cell phone bill on your phone.  The following are valid forms of proof of address.

  • • Residential lease
    • Utility bill, including a cell phone bill
    • Bank statement
    • Paycheck
    • Government check
    • Other government document
    • Property tax statement

    If you cannot prove who you are or where you live with the documents on the official list, a registered voter from your precinct may attest for you. That person will have to show valid ID.

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

I AM A FORMER FELON AND PLAN TO VOTE – WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW?

Most former felons have had their voting rights restored in Iowa.  You have to have completed your sentence and parole.  This page has information on registering and voting.  https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterinformation/restorerights.html

One practical suggestion is to bring a registered voter with you when registering to vote.  Iowa uses an electronic database to determine who has had their voting rights restored, and like any automated system it can make mistakes.  Moral support is important here.

MILITARY AND OVERSEAS VOTERS

Federal law provides for different rules for military and certain categories of overseas voters.  Such voters can make an absentee ballot request by email, and even receive their ballot by email, but most people still have to print and physically mail their overseas ballots back to the Auditor’s office. Only people in the military or in places the State Department classifies as “Imminent Danger Areas” can return  a ballot by email.  There is assistance and information available at this website, or call the Auditor’s office at 319-356-6004.:  https://www.fvap.gov/info/about-absentee-voting

Ballots mailed from overseas or from military bases must be postmarked by the day before the election (November 7th), and can arrive up until noon, the Monday after the election.  Here’s the catch – be sure that your ballot gets a postmark with a date on it.  In some cases you can ask that the envelope be “hand-cancelled,” to prove when the envelope was mailed.

I AM DISABLED AND/OR NEED ASSISTANCE VOTING – WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS FOR VOTING

Your options include the following – this might not be a complete list:

• • • Use the drive-though early voting option run by the Auditor’s office.  People there can assist you.  See the times and location above, and review the information on what identification to bring.
    • If you are in a care center or assisted living, call the Auditor’s office about what help might be available applying for and voting an absentee ballot.  319-356-6004.
    • Vote absentee from home, but observe the cautions above concerning how tight the timelines are, and get your request for an absentee ballot in early.  The deadline to apply for a ballot is October 24th.
    • Drive up to the curb nearest your polling place on election day.  Look for posted instructions on how to request that a bi-partisan team come out and help you vote.  If you don’t see any instructions, call the Auditor’s office, which will ask a team to come out to your car.  319-356-6004.
    • If you are at any polling place, there will be a touch screen system available as an alternative for marking your ballot.  It prints out a ballot that is put in the ballot box with the other ballots.  You may also request that someone help you mark your ballot.  If you ask the poll workers to help you, they will have a bi-partisan team help you mark your ballot.