Absentee Voting for the November 5, 2024 Election

Today marks 84 days until the November 5, 2024, Presidential General Election. For voters who have not voted in the last two years, the process of Absentee Voting by Mail in Iowa has changed. These changes include:

• Voters wanting to vote by mail must request an Absentee Ballot Request (ABR) form. Linn County Election Services (LCES) cannot send ABR forms without a request.
• By Iowa law, county election offices cannot accept completed ABR forms until 70 days before each election (August 27, 2024, is 70 days before the November General Election).
• The deadline for submitting ABR forms is 5 p.m. October 21, 2024. ABR forms received after the deadline are not valid. Postmark is NOT considered.
• Absentee ballots cannot be mailed to voters before October 16, 2024.
• Voted absentee ballots MUST be returned to LCES by 8 p.m. November 5, 2024.

To help with understanding how Absentee Voting by Mail works, here is the process from start to finish.

1. Get an ABR form in one of the following ways:

1. NOTE: LCES will not mail an ABR form before August 26, 2024, to avoid early submissions.
2. Fill out your ABR form.
3. Mail or drop off your completed form between August 27 and October 21, 2024.

1. Completed ABR forms received by LCES between August 27 and October 21, 2024, will be processed within one business day.
2. LCES will mail a confirmation card to the voter after processing a completed ABR form. (Confirmation cards will not be mailed if ABR form is received after October 9, 2024.)
3. Absentee ballots will be mailed on October 16, 2024. For ABR forms received on or after October 16, 2024, the absentee ballot will be mailed within 24 hours.
4. If you do not receive your ballot by October 23, 2024, please contact LCES.
5. Vote and return your absentee ballot to the Auditor's Office no later than 8 p.m. November 5, 2024. Postmark is NOT considered.

Important to note: In-Person Absentee "Early" Voting also starts on October 16, 2024. Many voters become impatient waiting for their mail ballot to arrive and choose to use In-Person Absentee "Early" Voting instead. Please be mindful that doing so more than doubles the expense of your voting activity. We appreciate you joining us in spending taxpayer dollars wisely.

For questions regarding this election, call Linn County Election Services at 319-892-5300, ext. 1 or email Elections staff.

Learn more at LinnCountyIowa.gov/Vote.

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