Absentee ballot requests may be filed for the upcoming election

Karla Weiss, Commissioner of Elections announces that voters interested in voting absentee for the Nov. 2, 2021 City/School Election may file requests for absentee ballots with the Winnebago County Auditor’s Office.
Due to recent legislation, the time period to request absentee ballots has gone from 120 days to 70 days. Voters may request a ballot by mail from now through 5 p.m., Oct. 18. In-person absentee voting at the Auditor’s office is anticipated to start Oct. 13 (Monday through Friday 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.) through Nov. 1 until 5 p.m.
Each request for an absentee ballot must contain one voter’s name, residential address, and mailing address (if different from the residential address), date of birth, election requesting the absentee ballot for, signature of the person requesting a ballot, and date signed. State forms can be downloaded from the Secretary of State website: https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/electioninfo/absenteeinfo.html. Send written requests to the Auditor’s office, 126 S. Clark St., Forest City, Iowa 50436.
All absentee ballots must be received by the County Auditor by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 2, 2021 in order to be counted. Postmarks or bar codes printed on ballot envelopes will no longer make the ballot received after Election Day valid except ballots from participants in the Safe At Home Program received by the Secretary of State in time to be transmitted to the County Auditor by noon on the Monday following the election and ballots from uniformed and oversees citizens received by noon on the Monday following the election.
Additional hours open:
Monday, Oct. 18, open 8 a.m-5 p.m.—Deadline to register to vote and be listed in the Election Day registers. Also the deadline to request Auditor mail out absentee ballots.
Friday, Oct. 29, open 8 a.m-5 p.m.—Deadline for Auditor to review absentee affidavits received by 5:00 pm.
Monday, Nov. 1, open 8 a.m-5 p.m.—Deadline to vote absentee in-person at the Auditor’s Office.
Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.—Deadline to return a voted absentee ballot to the Auditor’s Office.
Questions regarding absentee voting may be directed to the Auditor’s office at 641-585-3412. Voters can also follow Winnebago County on Facebook for election information.