(Radio Iowa) – Today (Wednesday) is the first day for early voting in Iowa’s Primary Elections. This is also the first day county auditors may start mailing absentee ballots to Iowans who requested them. Absentee ballot request forms must be in your county auditor’s office by 5 p.m. on Monday — postmarks do not count — and absentee ballots must be delivered to your county auditor’s office by 8 p.m. on Primary Day, June 2nd.
Secretary of State Paul Pate — Iowa’s Commissioner of Elections — has recorded a message for voters. “Primary elections matter. Now’s the time to make your plan to vote and have an impact on who advances to the General Election,” Pate said. “Our Primary Election decides who will appear on the ballot in November and has a profound impact on the direction of our state, our national policies, and the leaders who shape our communities.”
Palo Alto County Auditor Carmen Moser is a regional officer for the Iowa State Association of County Auditors. Her office in the county courthouse in Emmetsburg opened at 8 a.m. for in-person voting. “Voters need to have their ID with them, either their Iowa driver’s license, a non-operator ID or a passport,” Moser said. “And then they will have to declare their political party for the primary.”
Iowa has closed primaries, which means a voter must register as a Republican or as a Democrat to participate. Iowa also has same-day voter registration, which means you can switch your party preference as you vote in-person. The online pre-registration for the June 2nd Primary ends Monday.
