Monday is the last day for early voting. The drive-through voting sites in Johnson County — at the parking ramp of the Johnson County Human Services Building in Iowa City (855 S Dubuque St) — and Linn County — near the Jean Oxley Linn County Public Service Center in Cedar Rapids (823 3rd St SW) — will both be open until 5 p.m. Voters can drive-through with cars or bikes, or walk up.
You do not need an absentee ballot to vote early at these sites, but you do need to bring one of the following forms of ID:
• Iowa Voter Identification Card
• Iowa Driver’s License
• Iowa Non-Operator ID
• U.S. Military ID or Veteran ID
• U.S. Passport
• Tribal ID Card/Document
If you doesn’t have an ID, another registered voter with ID can attest to your identity. You’ll be able to cast a provisional ballot, and will be given instructions for what needs to be done to have that provisional ballot counted. The process must be complete by noon on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
Monday is also the final day for which absentee ballots returned by mail must be postmarked. As long as the absentee ballot is mailed by the end of the day and received by the auditor’s office by next Monday, Nov. 9, it will be counted.
You can also deliver your completed absentee ballot directly to one of the drop boxes the auditor’s offices have set up. Johnson County has two drop boxes located on the south side of the Johnson County Administration Building. The drop box in Linn County is at the drive-through early voting site. Absentee ballots must be in a drop box by the time polls close at 9 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3, in order to be valid.
Anyone needing transportation — either to vote in-person at a drive-through site or to deliver their absentee ballot to a drop box — can get a free Uber ride to and from their destination. Advocates for Social Justice (ASJ) has partnered with Democracy Defenders Iowa to offer ride vouchers to voters anywhere in Iowa. Details are available on ASJ’s Facebook page.
Voters in Johnson County who need help getting to a voting location but don’t have a smartphone to download the Uber app can get a free cab ride through Corridor Community Action Network (CCAN). To schedule a ride, call Iowa City Yellow Cab at 319-338-9777 and request a CCAN Voter Ride.
ASJ is also offering childcare reimbursement to make it easier for parents to vote. The group is asking parents to message them a receipt through Facebook for up to six hours of childcare. The receipt can be handwritten.
Anyone with questions about voting, either early or on Election Day, can contact their county auditor’s office. The Johnson County Auditor’s Office can be reached at 319-356-6004, and the phone number of the Linn County Auditor’s Office is 319-892-5300.
