Vote Early Earlier

Because voter traffic is increasing at our office and at satellite voting sites, we encourage Johnson County voters to cast their early ballots earlier, rather than waiting till the last minute.

The only early voting site on Monday, November 3 will be our office. In the 2012 presidential election, we had over 1300 voters at the office, which meant parking problems and longer waits.

To avoid the lines, a good day to vote would be this Saturday, either at the Iowa City Public Library from 10 to 6 or at our office from 9 to 5. (Yes, we know the Hawks are playing Saturday.) While we had 109 voters at the office last Saturday, that’s a lot less than the 350 to 400 a day we’re seeing on weekdays.

The full remaining early voting schedule is below. Voters should check sites and times. One recent campaign mailing listed incorrect times for the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics sites.

Johnson County Auditor's Office
913 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City
Wednesday, October 29-Friday, October 31 7:45 a.m. - 5.30 p.m.
Saturday, November 1, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Monday, November 3, 7:45 a.m. - 5.30 p.m.

University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics
200 Hawkins Dr., Iowa City
Wednesday, October 29, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Iowa City Public Library
123 S. Linn St., Iowa City, IA
Wednesday, October 29-Friday, October 31, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, November 1, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday, November 2, noon – 5 p.m.

Coralville Public Library
1401 5th St., Coralville
Thursday, October 30, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Sunday, November 2, noon - 4 p.m.

Republican Poll Workers Needed

The Johnson County Auditor’s Office needs registered Republicans ready and able to work as precinct officials for Election Day.

State law requires auditors to balance poll workers equally, or very close to equally, between the two full-status political parties, Democrats and Republicans. Balancing our workforce evenly in a county that leans strongly to one party is an ongoing challenge for our office.

Pay is $10.50 an hour, with time and a half after eight hours a day. You must be a registered voter in Johnson County to work.  

The work day starts at 6 AM on Tuesday, November 4, and concludes at roughly 10 PM, making full day pay just over $200. There may be limited opportunities for half day work. Your chances of being hired will increase if you are willing to work outside your own precinct and if you are comfortable working with computers.

Republican workers are needed for the following locations:

Swisher – 1 or 2
Shueyville – 1 or 2
Solon City Hall – 1 or 2
Newport – 1
North Liberty:
          Garner Elementary – 2 or 3
          South Slope – 3 or 4
          North Central Jr High – 1
Iowa City:
          Quad Residence Hall – 1 or 2
          UI Art Bldg West - 2
          UI Main Library – 5
          UI Athletic Hall of Fame – 1
          IC Transit Bldg – 2
          Mark Twain Elementary – 2
          Longfellow Elementary – 3 or 4
          IC Rec Center – 4
          IC Senior Center – 4
          Mann Elementary – 4
          Shimek Elementary – 1
          Regina – 3 or 4
 
Workers will also need to attend one training session. These will be held Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, October 28, 29 and 30 at 5:30 PM at Montgomery Hall at the Johnson County Fairgrounds.

We also need four additional Republican workers for the Absentee Board. This is a two day job beginning Monday, November 3 at 8 AM. Training for the Absentee Board is Monday. October 27 at either noon or 6 PM at our office.

Potential workers should apply at our office at 913 S. Dubuque St. in Iowa City between 7:45 and 5:30 weekdays, or on Saturday, October 25 from 8 to 5. For the hiring process you will need identification: either a driver’s license and original Social Security card, or a valid passport.

Democrats, independents, and third party voters may also apply, but are not likely to be needed for this election as those positions are already filled.

Registration DOWN?!? Blame Elvis.

We've got some unusual statistics for 17 days before an election: Active voter registration in Johnson County is actually DOWN over the last two weeks. But there's a reason for it and there's still time to fix problems.

Recently we sent new voter cards to five precincts which have new polling places. Any time we do a large mailing, some of the cards are returned to sender.



We should have sent it Special D.

When official election mail is returned as undeliverable, the Motor Voter law (1993) requires us to place that voter on inactive status, a preliminary step to cancellation. Inactive voters need to re-register to return to active status and vote.

Since October 4, during the stretch when cards were getting returned to sender, active voter registration in the county has dropped from 89,545 to 89,065, a loss of 480. (More voters than that have been inactivated, but losses are getting offset by new registrations). That's unusually high, because one of the precincts that's moved is Iowa City 11, a high turnover, student heavy part of downtown. Active registration in precinct 11 has dropped by 437 voters in the last two weeks. Many of these voters have probably graduated and moved away, but many others have simply moved to a new apartment.

Voters can check their registration status at the Secretary of State's web site. If your registration is inactive, this will appear near the top of the page:

Your current registration status is inactive. On election day, you will need to show identification at the polling place, such as a current and valid photo ID. 

You can avoid problems if you update your registration this week before the pre-registration deadline, Saturday October 25 at 5 p.m.

We expect the downward trend in registration to end next week with a stepped up satellite voting schedule. Voting is available Monday through Friday 11 to 5 at the Old Capitol Center, and from 7:45 to 5:30 at our office.