Requesting an absentee ballot? Prepare to be precise!

 

An absentee ballot request form and a letter from the
auditor's office to point out the error of our ways.

    An election is approaching on Nov. 2 and the Baker household is making preparations to participate.

    Steve Baker prefers to fill out an absentee ballot and vote in the privacy of our home. I, on the other hand, like to go to our precinct (in McCausland, Iowa!) to vote in person.

    One big change this year is in the absentee ballot request form. Folks like Steve may request the form from the auditor's office and it must be filled out precisely.

    I can understand why, but this whole absentee ballot process is also a significant change from previous years and one might hope officials would allow a wee bit of leeway. That's not going to happen in these partisan times and that's too bad.

    As of now, the request form has to be filled out to include the exact type and/or date of the upcoming election. Steve asked me, a former news reporter who has covered elections. 

    "Oh, I'd guess it's a general election," I replied, not looking at the form or the types of elections listed.

    No, it is NOT a general election. It is a "City/School" election, the third listing of the four choices available.

    We got a return letter from the Scott County Auditor's office to point out the error. In addition to the TYPE of election, one could fill in the correct date: Nov. 2, 2021.

    Luckily, Steve has time to make the correction and re-submit the form on Monday.

    The other problem -- which I pointed out to the auditor's office a week ago -- is that no contact information is on the form. You need to send it back, but no address or phone is clearly available.

    Ironically, it does say "If you have questions about absentee voting please contact your County Auditor" at the bottom. It also requests the voter's cell phone or e-mail address.

    Scott County Auditor Kerri Tompkins promptly returned my call and agreed the contact information should have been included but it's too late for this Nov. 2 election.

    For background on the request forms, I provide part of a Quad-City Times story published Sept. 27, 2021 and written by Tom Barton: 

    "Iowa was the first state to enact voting restrictions following the 2020 Presidential election under a Republican-backed nationwide push to pass so-called election integrity measures critics warn will disenfranchise voters.

    The new state law enacted by the Republican-controlled Iowa legislature and signed into law by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds this spring shortens Iowa's early voting period and strips auditors of much of their discretion in running elections in their counties, including restricting their ability to establish satellite in-person satellite voting sites and mail absentee ballot request forms.

    At the same time, auditors face stronger penalties, including a felony, for failing to carry out state election laws or violating guidance from the Iowa Secretary of State.