Posted by Candice on Monday, May 18, 2020
The Auditor’s Office is already processing a record number of absentee ballots for the upcoming primary election for congressional, state, legislative, and county offices…is yours one of them? If so, good for getting your vote out there! If you are unsure about what to do with absentee voting, here are your options:
- If you’ve already received your absentee ballot, you can still mail it in, but it must be postmarked by June 1.
- If you’ve requested your ballot but haven’t received it yet, you can check its status on the Track Your Absentee Ballot page of the Iowa Secretary of State website. If your search comes up blank, send an email to auditor@co.johnson.ia.us and they can get you an update and make sure it is being processed in time.
- If you would like to request an absentee ballot, you must do so by 5 p.m. on Friday, May 22. Fill out the PDF form and return it by mail, or deliver it in person to the auditor’s office.
Please note, party registration is required to vote in this election, and you must declare as a Democrat or Republican. Voters who are already registered as No Party, Libertarian, or Green will be contacted by the auditor’s office. If you’re not registered to vote, the deadline to pre-register is May 22, although you may still register on election day at your polling place by bringing proof of ID and residence. There are several ways to register before the election.
While the auditor's office is encouraging voting by mail, most regular polling places will be open on June 2. If you don’t know where to vote for this election, the auditor’s website has a list of polling places as well as a map locator.
If you would like to contact the Johnson County Auditor’s Office, you can call them at 319-356-6004, Monday-Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Library can also help answer questions and find your polling place, so feel free to contact us as well.
This is the May read for the library's book group, BYOBook, and it's very enlightening and entertaining! I'm going to say upfront that, based on this book, there is a big mess of snark (against each other, against regular ol' wine drinkers, against restaurant-goers) and the icky feel of a boys' club about the world of wine and sommeliers, but if you're willing to get past that there's a lot in here to learn and enjoy. (If you've read Bourdain, that's not anything new, right?) I applaud the author's desire and willingness to dive into this world, and I'm appreciative of the scientific and historical info she serves up. This behind-the-scenes look at wine in our daily lives--from learning about the doings of vendors and sommeliers, to all the ways one might determine what makes wine good--is truly interesting, and while it might make me want to hop on downtown for a glass to test my skills on, it also makes me really glad it's not my job to taste and choose SO. MUCH. WINE. If you like fun schtick-lit, if you like a little science in the vein of Mary Roach, and whether or not you imbibe, this is a really good read. -Candice