(Undated)– It’s been a year since Iowa adopted sweeping election law changes. For those who haven’t voted since then, local administrators say going in without a plan might bring some unwanted surprises for the June 7th primary. Among the key changes is a shorter window for early in-person voting, which for this primary opens up on May 18th. Iowans also have less time to request and send in absentee ballots. Election officials say that’s why people need to be thorough in filling out an absentee ballot. They say mail is not as speedy and fixing mistakes won’t be easy.
Rules surrounding ballot drop boxes have also been modified, and now Iowa counties are allowed to have one designated location, which has to be under video surveillance. In 2020, some counties used multiple drop box sites amid COVID concerns. Brad Anderson of A-A-R-P Iowa says the hope the changes won’t deter older voters in this year’s midterms, and that they’ll see participation just as strong as two years ago…
Beyond absentee ballots and early in-person voting at your county auditor’s office, there will still be polling sites on Election Day. However, those will now close an hour earlier, at 8:00 pm.
