Primary early voting looks like usual, but don't forget polling place changes: Story County auditor
Story County's auditor said early voting for the June 7 primary is looking more typical compared to the outlier year that was 2020, but she reminded everyone who plans to vote in-person at the polls that there have been some changes.
Auditor Lucy Martin said that as of Friday morning — not counting anyone whose ballot the office had received so far that day — the office had received 1,165 ballots, the majority of them by mail.
Martin said the "activity we’ve seen tracks really closely with what we saw in 2018," and not 2020, when turnout was more than 300% of what's usually seen in a primary.
In 2020, the Iowa secretary of state sent an absentee request form to all Iowans during the COVID-19 pandemic — something prohibited by 2021 changes to election law.
More: Iowa Supreme Court sides with GOP over absentee ballot forms
The changes, which took effect in March 2021, also affected early absentee voting by shortening the early voting window from 29 days to 20 days, and requiring that ballots must arrive at auditors' offices by the time polls close on Election Day, instead of being postmarked by a certain time.
Republican proponents of the legislation said the restrictions would strengthen election integrity. Democratic opponents worried it would make voting more difficult.
The last day to submit a request for a mailed absentee ballot was May 23, and Martin said since then, her office has been sending letters in response to requests received after deadline that detail how to find a polling place and the voting hours at the office.
She said letters had been sent to 128 people, not including any in Friday's mail.
More: Iowa's voting laws have changed. Here's what you need to know before you vote.
Martin also advised that this the first election with new precinct boundaries, which means that while many polling locations are the same as in previous years, where an individual voter should go to cast their ballot may have changed.
She urged people with questions to refer to the informational flyers that had been mailed to county residents or to contact her office.
More primary election information is also available at ia-storycounty2.civicplus.com/1026/Primary-Election-6722.
What Iowans need to know about early voting
Iowa will hold its primary election on June 7.
Iowa has closed primaries — that means voters must register as a Democrat to vote in the Democratic primary, or as a Republican to vote for Republicans.
But it's easy to change party registration. If you vote in-person and you request a ballot for a certain party, you will be automatically registered as a member of that party.
When do I have to mail my completed ballot?
Under Iowa law, county auditors must receive ballots by the time polls close on June 7.
The U.S. Postal Service recommends mailing ballots at least one week before Election Day. For Iowa, that means getting ballots in the mail by Tuesday, May 31.
The Secretary of State website tracks absentee ballots online.
If you don't want to mess with the mail, absentee ballots can also be dropped off in person at your county auditor's office.
How can I vote early in person?
County auditor offices will be open through June 6 for early voting. Voters can check with their county auditor for hours.
Martin said Story County's office will be open for voting from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 4, in addition to regular business hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
More: How to vote early in Iowa's 2022 primary elections from registration to voting locations
Phillip Sitter covers education for the Ames Tribune, including Iowa State University and PreK-12 schools in Ames and elsewhere in Story County. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com. He is on Twitter @pslifeisabeauty.
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Early voting in primary looking like usual; don't forget polling changes
