Absentee voting begins in Worth County

Voters interested in voting absentee for the November 2 City-School Election may file their requests for absentee ballots with the Worth County Auditor’s Office.
Due to recent legislation, the time period to request absentee ballots has been shortened from 120 days to 70 days. Voters may request a ballot by mail from now through October 18 at 5 p.m. In-person absentee voting at the Auditor’s office is anticipated to start on October 13 (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.) through November 1 until 5 p.m. For voter convenience, the Auditor’s Office will be open until 5 p.m. on Monday, October 18; Friday, October 29; and Monday, November 1.
Voter registration forms, absentee ballot application forms and information regarding documents acceptable to prove identification and residency are available from the Worth County Auditor’s Office at the courthouse or the Worth County Auditor’s Election website: elections.worthcountyiowa.gov.
The forms must be signed and mailed or hand delivered to the Worth County Auditor’s Office.
All absentee ballots must be received by the County Auditor by 8 p.m. on Election Day, November 2, in order to be counted. Postmarks or bar codes printed on ballot envelopes will no longer make the ballot received after Election Day valid except ballots from participants in the Safe At Home Program received by the Secretary of State in time to be transmitted to the County Auditor by noon on the Monday following the election and ballots from uniformed and overseas citizens received by noon on the Monday following the election.
Monday, October 18, is the last day absentee ballots can be mailed to voters. Absentee ballots cannot be mailed to persons who have not registered to vote. Unregistered voters may submit a completed voter registration form with their absentee ballot application if the completed forms will be received in the Auditor’s Office by Monday, October 18.
Persons registering to vote after October 18 shall not be mailed an absentee ballot, but may vote in person at the County Auditor’s Office until 5 p.m. on Monday, November 1, (or at their precinct polling place on election day) upon providing proof of identity and residency.
Voters may check on the status of their absentee ballot by contacting the Worth County Auditor’s Office, or at www.sos.iowa.gov/elections/absenteeballotstatus/search.aspx

School district voters must vote in their school district of residence, and, as a result of legislative changes, only in their county of residence, for all regularly scheduled elections. Worth County voters who may have crossed county lines to vote in school elections in the past (i.e. St. Ansgar, Forest City and Lake Mills school district residents) must now vote in Worth County for regularly scheduled elections.
Anyone with questions may call the Auditor’s office at 641-324-2316, Option #2 or visit the County Elections website at elections.worthcountyiowa.gov.