Absentee Voting
Absentee voting is available in the Auditor's Office or by mail beginning 20 days before each election.

Absentee In-Person Voting

You may cast an absentee ballot in the Auditor's Office in the Courthouse Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  20 days before any election.

Voters in Iowa are required to show an ID when voting absentee in-person and at the polls on election day. The following are valid forms of ID that can be used when voting  absentee in-person.

  • Iowa Voter Identification Card
  • Iowa Driver’s License
  • Iowa Non-Operator ID
  • U.S. Military ID or Veteran ID
  • U.S. Passport
  • Tribal ID Card/Document

You must vote your absentee ballot at the auditor's office. You cannot take the ballot home with you.

For primary and general elections, absentee ballots will be available no earlier than 20 days at the county auditors' offices. For all other elections, ballots will be available as soon as they are ready, but not sooner than 20 days before an election.

In-person absentee voting is not available on election day at the auditor's office unless the polls open at noon. If the polls open at noon, you may cast an absentee ballot at the county auditor's office from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on election day.


Absentee Voting by Mail

 
Registered voters may request an absentee ballot to be sent to them by mail. You must complete an absentee ballot request form and return the original, signed form to your county auditor. The request form does not need to be witnessed or notarized.
 
The absentee ballot request form must be received in the Auditor's Office by 5 p.m. 15 days before the election. 

For more information on absentee voting visit:
https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/electioninfo/absenteeinfo.html


Satellite Absentee Voting

Satellite absentee voting stations  provide in-person absentee voting at other places other than the auditor's office.

You must mark the absentee ballot at the satellite station and leave it with the officials. You cannot take the ballot home with you.

All satellite stations must be accessible to people with disabilities.

To find out whether a satellite station is planned for an election, contact your our office at 319-352-0340.

You may request a satellite station by filing a petition with the county auditor. The petition must contain signatures of at least 100 eligible electors living in the jurisdiction. The petition must be filed with the county auditor conducting the election by the filing deadlines listed in §53.11, which varies by election type.

Petition form requesting satellite station


UOCAVA
Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA)
 
The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) is a federal law that makes it easier for members of the armed forces and certain overseas U.S. citizens to register to vote and cast absentee ballots.
 
UOCAVA voters include:
 
  • Members of the armed forces on active duty and their spouses and dependents
  • Members of the merchant marine and their spouses and dependents
  • Civilian employees of the U.S. serving outside the territorial limits of the U.S. and their spouses and dependents who live with them
  • Members of religious or welfare agencies assisting members of the armed forces who are officially attached to and serving with the armed forces and their spouses and dependents
  • U.S. citizens who live outside the territorial limits of the U.S.*

*Citizens may register and vote in Iowa if either they or their parents were eligible electors of Iowa just before leaving the U.S. This includes citizens who were not old enough to register to vote at the time they left the country.

Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP)

FVAP stands for the Federal Voting Assistance Program. It is a division of the U.S. Department of Defense that provides voting information and assistance to members of the military and overseas citizens. It also administers UOCAVA.

UOCAVA voters can find copies of the federal postcard application (FPCA), federal write-in absentee ballot (FWAB), and information for voter registration and absentee voting specific to Iowa on FVAP’s website: www.fvap.gov.