Election Day for the open Iowa City Council seat in District C is Tuesday. Unlike the primary election on Feb. 4, in which only residents of District C could vote, all registered voters in Iowa City will be able to vote in the special election on Tuesday.
There will be two candidates on the ballot, Oliver Weilein and Ross Nusser. Weilein won the primary in the district in a landslide, receiving 69 percent of the vote, while Nusser received 27 percent.
Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m., although if you’re in line when the clock strikes 8, you will still be able to cast a ballot. All in-person voting on Election Day will happen at designated polling places. Anyone uncertain of where to go to vote, can find their polling place using the Johnson County Auditor’s Office online look-up tool. Early in-person voting at the auditor’s office ends on Monday at 5 p.m.
Mail-in absentee ballots must be received in the auditor’s office by the time polls close on Tuesday to be counted.
Voter ID requirements will be in place on Tuesday. The following forms of ID are acceptable under Iowa law.
• 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 your ID doesn’t have your current address on it, you’ll need one of the following documents as proof of residency.
• Residential lease
• Utility bill, including a cell phone bill
• Bank statement
• Paycheck
• Government check
• Other government document
• Property tax statement
Registered voters who don’t have the right ID can cast a provisional ballot if another registered voter in that precinct, who has the right type of ID in hand, is willing to attest the ID-less voter’s identity. The voter then has until noon on the Monday following the election to present the needed form of ID at the county auditor’s office in order to have the provisional ballot counted.
Same-day voter registration is available in all Iowa election, so any adult citizen who goes to the precinct that corresponds to their home address, and hasn’t been stripped of the right to vote by order of a judge or because they have not completed all court-imposed requirements following a felony conviction (or were convicted of an offense under Chapter 707 of Iowa Code), can register and immediately exercise the franchise.
To register on Election Day, you’ll need one of the forms of ID listed above. If your ID does not have your current address, you’ll need one of the proofs of residency also listed above.
There will be help available for voters with disabilities on Tuesday. Each precinct should have two officials — a Democrat and a Republican — designated to assist voters with special needs. Curbside voting is also available for those unable to easily exit their vehicles. Once alerted to a voter requesting the curbside option, the two appointed precinct officials will bring a ballot to the voter.
Anyone with questions about assistance with voting should call the Johnson County Auditor’s Office at 319-356-6004.
