Voting requirements are reviewed

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The November 8 general election is less than four weeks away and voters need to be aware of certain deadlines and requirements prior to casting their votes.
Absentee ballots
Absentee Ballots will be available beginning Wednesday, October 19 for mail and in-person voting.
Requests for absentee ballots must be in writing and should be mailed or delivered to:
Ringgold County Auditor, 109 W. Madison St., Mount Ayr, IA 50854
In-person absentee voting in the office of the Ringgold County Auditor closes at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, November 7.
The last day an absentee ballot may be mailed to a voter for this election is Monday, October 24. Voted absentee ballots returned by mail MUST be returned no later than 8:00 p.m. on ELECTION DAY, Tuesday, November 8 to be considered on time to be counted. Voters are advised to keep in mind that postal delivery is now two to five days.
Voter registration
Registering to vote is a legal requirement to vote in elections in Iowa. To register you:
• Must be at least 17 years old.
• Must be a United States Citizen.
• Must be an Iowa Resident.
• Cannot be a convicted felon (unless your voting rights have been restored by the Governor, including through Executive Order, after a felony conviction).
• Cannot be judged mentally incompetent by a court of law.
• Cannot claim the right to vote in any other place.
Monday, October 24 is the final day to pre-register to vote for the 2022 general election. Completed voter registrations may be mailed to your county auditor and must be received by 5:00 p.m. CT on October 24 or must be postmarked on or before October 24. Registrations submitted online must be completed at or before 11:59 p.m. CT on October 24.
When pre-registering to vote at your county auditor’s office or by mail, you’ll need either your driver’s license, non-operator ID, or to know the last four digits of your Social Security Number.
When pre-registering to vote online, you’ll need either your driver’s license or non-operator ID, and the last FIVE digits of your Social Security Number.
Any voter that is not registered on or before October 24 may still register and vote by providing proof of identity and residence. This is called Election Day Registration, even if it’s done during in-person absentee voting at your county auditor’s office or at the polling place on Election Day.
Auditors’ extended hours
Extended and Saturday hours are available for voter registration and absentee voting in the Ringgold County Auditor’s Office. In addition to regular hours of Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., extended office hours during the 2022 general election season will be as follows:
Monday, October 24 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday, November 4 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, November 5 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tuesday, November 8 – 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.* or later, depending on election activities.
Voter ID
Iowa Law requires voters to present an acceptable form of ID when going to vote.
Acceptable Forms of Identification include:
• Current Iowa Driver’s License or Non-Operator’s ID
• Current U.S. Passport
• Current U.S. Military ID
• U.S. Veteran’s ID
• Tribal ID/Document
Any registered voter who does not have a valid driver’s license or non-operator’s ID issued by the Iowa Department of Transportation were issued a Voter ID Card containing a four-digit PIN. To be valid on Election Day the Voter ID card must be signed prior to arriving at the polling place.
If you do not have an acceptable form of identification when going to vote you have several options:
• Have Someone Attest to your Identity- Attesters must provide proper identification for themselves in order to attest to another voter’s identification.
• Cast a Provisional Ballot – For a provisional ballot to be counted, the voter must provide an acceptable form of identification at the polling place before it closes or provide it at the Auditor’s Office by noon on the following Monday. If the canvass will be held earlier than the following Monday, the identification must be provided before the canvass.
(Voters were previously offered the option to sign an additional oath of identification in 2018. This option is no longer available.)
Provisional ballots provide a way for voters to cast their ballots on Election Day if there is a question about their eligibility to vote. Voters will be offered a provisional ballot if the voter had been sent an absentee ballot, if the voter does not provide ID when required, or if the voter is challenged by another registered voter. Provisional ballots are sealed in a secure envelope after the voter has marked the ballot. The ballot envelope is reviewed later by the absentee board. Provisional voters receive a notice on Election Day with information about the reason for the challenge and whether they need to provide additional documentation regarding their eligibility.