When you read all the articles about what is happening in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Texas, Kansan and Ohio, you begin to wonder, “What is up with Photo I.D.?” There are no changes in our voting laws, a Photo ID is NOT required to vote in Iowa.
You are eligible to vote if you are a U.S. Citizen, 18 years old by Election Day, Nov. 6, 2012, a Jasper County resident and registered to vote.
To Register
You can register from now until Election Day. You may register at the Jasper County Courthouse or simply mailing in a Voter Registration form. These forms can be found at DOT Driver License Stations, in the Auditor's Office in the Courthouse or on the Iowa Secretary of State website, www.sos.iowa.gov.
You can print off the form, complete the form and mail it in.
Citizens may also register on the day of an election with two forms of ID. Your registration will remain valid unless you have changed your name, address, or you have been convicted of a felony and have not had your rights restored.
On Election Day
Go to your polling place to vote. You can find your polling place on the Secretary of State Website or use www.VOTE411.org, the website provided by the League of Women Voters of the U.S. Those working at your polling site will help you to vote.
Voting Absentee
You may vote in person at the County Election Office or Auditor’s Office in the Courthouse within a 40-day period preceding any election — this year it begins Sept. 27 — or contact the County Election Office for an Official Absentee Ballot request form. Fill out the request and return the request form and an Absentee Ballot will be mailed to you.
College Student Voting
Your college student has a choice about where to vote. Students can register to vote at the college they attend or they can choose to vote in their home towns.
They will need absentee ballots, if they chose the hometown. They would complete that, and then mail it back to their home County Auditor’s Office.
For more information contact the County Election Office at (641) 792-7016, or check out www.VOTE411.org or www.sos.iowa.gov.
— Bonnie Pitz, President, League of Women Voters of Iowa