2 weeks Ago By By Elizabeth Bingham [email protected]
Voters who want to cast their ballots early at the courthouse are able to until Nov. 4, according to Bremer County Auditor Shelley Wolf. Regular hours at the auditor’s office are Monday through Friday, 8 a.
m. to 4:30 p.m.
, straight through, with no break for a lunch hour, Wolf clarified, noting that people have been contacting the courthouse to ask about that. Because of construction, the only public entrance to the courthouse for now is on the north side of the building along First Avenue NW. The auditor’s office is up the stairs and to the right, at the end of the hall.
In addition to regular office hours, voters may vote early during expanded hours on a couple of days. On Friday, Nov. 1, the Bremer County auditor’s office will be open from 8 a.
m. to 5 p.m.
, and on Saturday, Nov. 2, it will be open from 9 a.m.
to 5 p.m. The last day for early voting will be Monday, Nov.
4, when the auditor’s office will be open from 8 a.m. straight through until 4:30 p.
m. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Mail-in ballots Many voters have requested that an absentee ballot be sent to them in the mail so that they may vote early. In order for an absentee/early vote to count, it must be received by the auditor’s office by 8 p.m.
on Election Day, not simply postmarked by then. If you requested an absentee ballot in the mail but never got around to filling it out, you may surrender it at your polling place on Election Day and vote a regular ballot. If for some reason you think your absentee ballot has been lost, you can vote a provisional ballot on Election Day at your poll site.
It will be set aside while it is determined whether your absentee ballot can be located. You can track the status of your absentee ballot by checking at the Iowa Secretary of State website at sos.iowa.
gov/elections/absenteeballotstatus/absentee/search . What if I haven’t registered to vote? If you have not registered to vote, you may do so at the county auditor’s office through Nov. 4.
If Election Day arrives and you have not registered, you may do so at your polling place before voting. In either case, to register to vote, you need two pieces of information: your ID (such as a driver’s license or passport) and proof of residence (such as a utility bill). To register to vote in Iowa, you must be a U.
S. citizen, at least 17 years old and an Iowa resident. (You must be 18 at the time of the election to vote.
) You cannot be judged mentally incompetent by a court of law and cannot rightfully vote in any other place. You also cannot register as a convicted felon, unless the governor has restored that right. More information about the election, registering and voting is available on the Bremer County website at bremercountyelections.
iowa.gov/ . Residents of Butler County can find information at butlercounty.
iowa.gov/departments/elections ..
