Now is a good time to vote absentee--if you plan to vote absentee

Winneshiek County Auditor Ben Steines told members of the Decorah Rotary Club on Tuesday that there are still 1,400 absentee ballots which have been mailed out but not returned yet.

Steines says now is a good time to cast an absentee ballot in person at the county Auditor's Office "because we haven't seen any lines yet."  The Auditor's Office has taken COVID-19 safety precautions, such as installing plexiglas dividers and ordering personal protective equipment, but there have not been long lines yet waiting to vote.

In-person absentee voting in the Auditor's Office can be done at any time from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Mondays through Fridays or on the next two Saturdays between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.  People are encouraged to wear a mask and practice safe social distancing.  Voters can also bring their own blue or black in pen to mark their ballots.

To be guaranteed that absentee ballots will be counted, they should be returned to the Auditor's Office by 9:00 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3rd.  The public can use the drop box by the Courthouse parking lot to return their ballots, or they can bring the ballots to the Auditor's Office on the second floor of the Courthouse and personally place their ballot into a collection box.

Voters who are registered by Saturday, October 24th, with the correct address will need to show an ID to vote.  Voters who need to register or change their adress after Saturday will need to show an ID and will need proof of residency.  For more information, visit https://voterready.iowa.gov/resource/id/ for more information.

The state's election website at https://voterready.iowa.gov has additional information about voting in the November 3rd election.