Johnson County Auditor

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Auditor's Office Registers High School Students

County Auditor Travis Weipert and staff members visited Clear Creek Amana High School Monday to register students to vote and demonstrate voting equipment. Coverage from KGAN:

And from KCRG:

Many high school students will be able to vote in this fall's election. You must be 18 to vote, but you can register as soon as you're 17 1/2.

Monday, April 28, 2014

New Law Changes Primary Pre-Registration Deadline

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.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Voting Starts This Week

In person early voting for the June 3 primary starts tomorrow, April 24.

We've got two places to vote tomorrow. Voting starts at 7:45 a.m. at our office. We also have a satellite site on the first floor of the Old Capitol Mall from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Our office will have early voting every weekday from 7:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (One exception: we're taking Memorial Day off on Monday May 26.) Because the law says we have to, we're also open the last two Saturdays before the election: May 24 from 8 to 5 and May 31 from 9 to 5.

We've also got a full schedule of satellite voting that includes old standby sites and some new stuff we want to try out. We're voting at a farmer's market, a pizza place on the Ped Mall, and in a Votemobile. Check the full schedule here.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Friendly Reminders About Yardsigns

It's campaign season again, and that means signs are popping up around the county. We haven't heard any complaints yet about signs where they shouldn't be. We like that and want to keep it that way. So here's a refresher on the rules.

Our number one concern is safety. Yard signs can't be in the public right of way. In the rural part of the county, right of way generally extends 33 feet from the center line of the road and includes the ditch. Within cities, the right of way includes the area between the sidewalk and street.

WRONG: between sidewalk and street

RIGHT: Inside of sidewalk

I can haz votes?

That covers most of our complaints but we see some raised hands here.

Isn't it too early to put signs up? I thought it was only the last 30 days you could have signs up.

That ordinance may still be on the books, but the courts decided it was an unfair restriction on free speech and it can't be enforced.

When do signs have to come down?

They don't. We still see a few strays from the 2012 caucuses. Or maybe they're early for the 2016 caucuses. We don't know.

What about signs at businesses?

Those are OK for issue campaigns, but generally not for candidate campaigns. Here's the details. There aren't any issues on the June 3 ballot.

Someone across from the polling place has signs up.

Campaigning isn't allowed within 300 feet of the polls. However, there's an exception for people's houses, so if someone happens to live near a polling place they can leave their sign up.

Someone has a sign where it shouldn't be. Can you come take it down?

We don't have a special Yard Sign Police Unit on standby. If there's a sign near a polling place on Election Day, our poll workers will take it down. Complaints about signs in the right of way should be directed to the appropriate city streets department, or in the rural part of the county, Johnson County Secondary Roads. They'll remove signs as the schedule permits. (Secondary Roads has a good collection.) Don't risk a confrontation by taking them down yourselves.

Complaints about possible illegal sign placement on corporate property should be directed to Iowa Ethics, (515) 281-4028, during office hours: 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. Monday – Friday. They don't have yard sign police either, but can reprimand a campaign after the fact.

Monday, April 14, 2014

First Ballots Mailed Today

The first absentee ballots for the June 3 primary election were mailed from the Johnson County Auditor's Office today.

Ballots were mailed to 50 Democrats and one Republican who have requested ballots through today. After today, ballots will be mailed by the next business day after we receive the request.

Under Iowa law voters who wish to vote by mail must request a ballot each election. Request forms are available on our web site. Since this is a partisan primary election, voters must specify which party's ballot they would like, Democratic or Republican.

In person early voting begins Thursday, April 24 from 7:45 to 5:30 at our office and from 11 to 7 at the Old Capitol Mall. A full early voting schedule is here.

Friday, April 11, 2014

Auditor Clobbered for Charity with Cold Water

Johnson County Auditor Travis Weipert was balloon bombarded by members of the public - OK, mostly by members of his staff - at the County Administration Building at high noon today.

Travis accepted a challenge from Page County Auditor Melissa Welhausen to participate in a Polar Plunge for Cancer. He raised $105 on the spot for 5 month old Landon Shaw, who has atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor or AT/RT, which is a rare tumor usually diagnosed in childhood. Landon is just home from brain surgery and still has a long road ahead of him, and will complete chemotherapy and radiation in the upcoming weeks, so Travis will be happy to accept additional donations. More info at https://www.facebook.com/groups/14064...

But beware: now that Travis has taken the plunge, he gets to challenge someone else...