Early voting in the Nov. 3 election got off to a fast start last week, with 14,389 people casting ballots in Johnson County and 5,580 voting early in Linn County.
Those totals reflect both in-person early voting, as well as absentee ballots returned by mail or deposited in the drop boxes set up by the auditor’s offices in both counties.
Satellite voting stations are opening this week, offering voters more opportunities to cast their ballot before Election Day.
Johnson County
Clear Creek Amana West Campus Building
331 W Marengo Rd, Tiffin
Monday, Oct.12, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.Swisher Public Library
72 2nd St SE
Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2 – 6 p.m.Coralville Public Library
1401 5th St., Coralville
Wednesday, Oct.14, Thursday, Oct. 15 and Friday, Oct. 16, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 17, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 18, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.Solon Public Library
320 W Main St
Wednesday, Oct.14, 2 – 6 p.m.North Liberty Community Library
520 W Cherry St.
Saturday, Oct. 17, 11 a.m.- 3 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 18, 1 – 4 p.m.Linn County
Cornell College – Multi Sport Center
835 1st Street W, Mount Vernon, IA
Thursday, October 15, noon – 6 p.m.IBEW Local 405 Union Hall
1211 Wiley Blvd SW
Sunday, Oct. 18, noon – 6 p.m
Drive-through early voting will continue in both Johnson and Linn. In Johnson County, drive-through voting is taking place at the parking ramp north of the Johnson County Health and Human Services Building at 855 S Dubuque St, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Linn County Auditor’s Office has set up its in-person early voting site at 823 3rd St SW, Cedar Rapids, near the Jean Oxley Linn County Public Service Center. Voting hours on weekdays are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Linn County has a second in-person early voting site at the food court of Lindale Mall, 4444 1st Ave NE, which is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The voter ID law passed by the Iowa Legislature in 2017 is in effect for this election, so those who want to vote early in person should bring one of the following forms of identification to their voting site.
• 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 a voter doesn’t have one of the acceptable forms of ID, another registered voter who has ID can attest to the ID-less voter’s identity. The voter without ID can then cast a provisional ballot.
Anyone casting a provisional ballot will be given instructions for what needs to be done to have that provisional ballot counted; the voter must complete the process by noon on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
Those preferring to vote early by returning an absentee ballot they requested can do so by mailing it to the auditor’s office or depositing it in a ballot drop box. In Johnson County, two drop boxes are 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.
To be counted, a mail-in ballot must be postmarked by Monday, Nov. 2 and arrive at the auditor’s office by Monday, Nov. 9. Absentee ballots must be in a drop off box by the time polls close at 9 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3, in order to be valid.
