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Absentee voting is available and no excuse is required. County election officials may only send out absentee ballot request forms if requested. You can return your absentee ballot request form through the mail or in person. The last day to vote in-person absentee at your county auditor’s office is Monday, November 7. Mail-in ballots must be received by the close of polls on Election Day in order to be counted. You can sign up to track your absentee ballot on your Secretary of State website. Contact your local elections office for more information.

REQUESTING AND RETURNING YOUR ABSENTEE BALLOT:

Applications for absentee ballots can be obtained online in a PDF format, or mailed upon request from the Secretary of State. You can also request a ballot by mailing the application to the county auditor/commissioner of elections in the county where you are registered.

You must provide ID information on your absentee ballot request forms. All request forms must include your driver's license/non-driver's ID number or your Voter ID Card's four-digit PIN number. Request forms without these forms of ID will not be accepted.

A written application for a mailed absentee ballot must be received by the voter's County Auditor no later than 5:00 p.m. 15 days before the election. If the request is received so late that it is unlikely the absentee ballot can be returned by mail in time to be considered for counting, the county auditor will enclose a statement to that effect with the absentee ballot.

For primary and general elections, the ballots are mailed no later than 20 days before election day. For other elections, ballots are mailed to voters as soon as they are ready. The county auditor will include instructions on how to mark the ballot as well as how to return the ballot.

Mail ballots must be received by the county auditor's office by the time polls close on Election Day (8:00 pm) in order to be counted. Voted absentee ballots cannot be delivered to the polling place on election day.

NOTE: You may designate an individual who lives in your household or a member of your immediate family to return your ballot using one of the above methods. Your ballot must be received by 8:00 PM CT on Election Day. Blind and/or disabled voters may designate a delivery agent to return their voted absentee ballot.

Voting in Person after Requesting an Absentee Ballot

Voters have the option to deliver their absentee ballot to the county auditor's office before the polls close on election day, surrender their voted absentee ballot at the polls and vote a regular ballot, or vote a provisional ballot at the polls if they cannot surrender their absentee ballot.

County Auditors may use Satellite Absentee Voting Stations to provide absentee voting at places other than the Auditors office. You must mark your ballot at the station and leave it with the officials. All satellite stations must be accessible to people with disabilities. Note: Under a new Iowa law, satellite voting sites may only be set up if enough voters petition for one

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