In-person absentee voting for the November 3rd General Election begins today at the Sioux County Courthouse, while election officials also begin mailing ballots to voters who previously submitted absentee ballot request forms.
Sioux County Elections Administrator Ashley Riibe says voters will be able to cast absentee ballots at the courthouse through the day before the election.
“We have absentee voting starting today here in the courthouse, and that’s going to go through Monday, November 2nd. So people can come here to cast their absentee ballot here at the courthouse with our team of election workers.”
Absentee Voting Hours and Deadlines
Regular courthouse voting hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The courthouse will remain open until 5:00 p.m. on Monday, October 19th, and Friday, October 30th.
It will also be open for absentee voting from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday, October 31st.
Monday is also the deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail. Requests must be received by 5:00 p.m. October 19th.
October 19th is also the voter pre-registration deadline. Anyone registering as a new voter or changing their voter record after that date will be treated as an Election Day registrant and will need to provide proof of identity and residency.
What Voters Should Bring
Riibe says voters whose information has not changed should bring identification. Anyone who has moved since voting previously may also need a utility bill, bank statement, or another document showing their current residence.
“Make sure that if you’re coming here to vote before Election Day, make sure you have your ID with you. And if you’ve moved since the last time you voted, you’ll want to make sure you have something that would show your residency in case we have to make any updates, which would be a utility bill, bank statement, something like that to prove your residency as well. If nothing has changed, just make sure you bring your ID.”
All in-person absentee voting will take place at the Sioux County Courthouse. There will not be any satellite voting locations or early voting at the county’s Election Day polling places.
What Happens to an Absentee Ballot?
Riibe says completed absentee ballots are kept at the Sioux County Courthouse until they can be processed.
“We have an organizational system where once they come back, they’re listed numerically. We keep them all here in a safe location. And then on Election Day, we have a special team that comes in of election workers who’s just here at the courthouse that day. They open them all and run them through as though they’re their own precinct that day, so they don’t get counted until Election Day.”
Riibe described this year’s ballot as relatively straightforward. Along with federal, statewide, and local races, voters will decide whether to amend the Iowa Constitution to require approval from at least two-thirds of the elected members in both chambers of the Iowa Legislature before the state could increase individual or corporate income tax rates or establish a new tax based on income. The requirement would not apply to taxes imposed at the option of local governments.
The final day to vote absentee at the courthouse is Monday, November 2nd. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3rd, with polls open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
