Requesting absentee ballot? Here’s what you need to do

As the 2020 general election nears, county auditors in southeast Iowa continue to see a flood of absentee ballot requests.

With more voters opting out of voting at the polls on Election Day this year, many are navigating absentee voting for the first time. Washington County Auditor Dan Widmer said one of the most frequent questions from voters is about receiving multiple absentee ballot request forms.

'It's confusing to them. They're calling asking why they're receiving so many. Some have already returned a request form when they receive another so they ask us whether we've received it yet,” Widmer said.

The county auditor said voters only need to send in one form and forms voters receive from various organizations or the county itself are acceptable.

Widmer added some voters have raised questions about the legitimacy of request forms due to issues that have occurred in other counties. he said ballot requests forms sent out from his office will not face the same issues.

Widmer added the request forms are usually highlighted in areas that need to be filled out with voter information and encourages voters to follow those guides when completing the form.

For the ballot itself, Henry County Auditor Shelly Barber said the most common thing voters forget is signing the return envelope. She encourages voters to remember to fill in all sections of the ballot including their names, addresses and driver's license numbers.

'It has to be signed, or we will not accept them,” she said.

This year, the ballot will be two-sided with partisan races on the front page and non-partisan races on the back.

Barber said voters should read ballot instructions carefully and not to overvote or undervote on races.

'Sometimes only two seats are open, and people mark three options,” Barber said.

Ballot machines will not be able to read races that have been over or under voted. Barber said ballots that have been 'spit out” by the machine will be evaluated by election workers who will 'try to make the best determination that they can,” specifically for ballots that may have been read incorrectly due to smudge marks or extra ink.

A ballot will be remarked to reflect that determination. If a clear choice cannot be determined, the ballot is remarked without that race.

'Everything is done by independent race,” Barber added.

The auditor said voters can choose not to vote in every single race and that one mistake will not invalidate the entire ballot.

Abbie DeKleine, the second deputy auditor in Jefferson County, echoed Barber's reminders to those voting by mail to not only to sign the affidavit envelope but also seal the return envelope.

DeKleine explained if a voter spoils a ballot or makes a mistake, they need to send back their original ballot and request a new one. The office cannot send a new ballot until they have received the original.

'It's always the goal to get all ballots back to the office. Sometimes I hear people decide they don't want to vote and throw away the ballot. They can return the ballot but mark it ‘unvoted,'” she added.

With the increase in the number of absentee ballots, the auditors are taking steps now to prepare for the election.

In Henry County, Barber has put in a grant request to purchase a new vote-counting machine for absentee ballots specifically and should expedite the counting process the night of the election. The county has already received 2,040 requests.

Widmer said Washington County has received about 2,750 requests and is expected to exceed the 5,000 absentee ballot requests his office received in both 2016 and 2012.

'We're going to be really busy. It's going to be all hands on deck,” he said.

Jefferson County is looking at similar numbers with 2,031 ballot requests already received. DeKleine said the county received 4,465 requests four years ago, a number she expects to exceed.

'We're already starting to prepare. It's a little earlier than usual but nothing we can't handle. It's what we're here for,” she said.

Absentee ballots will be sent to voters through the mail on Oct. 5. Voters can begin in-person absentee voting at courthouses on Oct. 5.