A new state law has changed the pre-registration deadline and voting dates for the June 3 primary election.
House File 2366, passed with bipartisan support and signed Friday by Governor Branstad, moves the registration deadline up one day to Friday, May 23 at 5 p.m. The Friday 11 days before Election Day is now the pre-registration deadline for all elections in Iowa except general elections in November of even years. That deadline remains the Saturday 10 days before the election.
Election Day Registration is available in all elections with ID and proof of address after the pre-registration deadline.
The changed deadline also means our office will not be open on Saturday, May 24, as previously planned. Voting will still be available May 24th at a satellite site at the Iowa City Farmer’s Market downtown from 7:30 a.m. to noon.
Auditors across the state had requested the pre-registration deadline change for primary elections. The old deadline, Saturday 10 days before the primary, required auditor’s offices to stay open all day the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend for very few voters. Two years ago, Johnson County had two voters in nine hours: a county employee working over the weekend and the spouse of one of our staffers bringing in lunch.
Auditor’s offices will still be open on May 31, the Saturday before the election, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. State law still requires our office to be open on Saturday, October 25, 10 days before the November 4 general election. In the past, that date has seen more voter interest than the Saturday 10 days before the primary.
House File 2366 also frees up storage space by allowing auditors to keep voter registration forms on file electronically. The law also makes technical changes to provisions about city special elections.
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