Additional Tips To Help Ensure Your Vote Counts This November

September 29th, 2022

Oskaloosa, Iowa – Last week, a joint press release from the Mahaska County Auditors Office and the Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office alerted area residents to a potential election scam.

This release stated that the scam started with a phone call, and the caller asked questions about the upcoming election on November 8th.

This type of scam or election disinformation is a first for the Mahaska County Auditors Office staff.

The caller then asks if they can register the citizen’s absentee ballot vote over the phone, and there would be no need to return the ballot to the auditor’s Office.

Theresa Paige with the Mahaska County Auditors Office said the press release was to help other potential scam victims understand that absentee ballots must be returned to the Auditors Office to be counted.

“That is a clear case of election disinformation, where someone is purposefully trying to mislead Iowa voters,” Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said. “We have a great record of clean, fair elections in Iowa, and election officials across the state are pushing back on this nonsense.”

Absentee ballots must be returned to the Auditors Office for your vote to be counted. There are no electronic forms of voting nor a 3rd party offering to submit your vote.

Instructions from the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office on returning your absentee ballot are listed below.

Mark your ballot, and then follow the instructions included with your ballot to return it in the postage-paid return envelope. It is vital that you utilize the return envelope supplied by the county auditor.

You can:

Mail your ballot so that it is received before 8 PM CT on Election Day – November 8th

-OR-

Hand deliver your ballot to your county auditor during business hours or any time up until 8 PM CST on Election Day – November 8th

-OR-

You may designate someone to return your ballot under one of the following circumstances:
-The designee is an immediate family member.
-The designee is a member of your household.
-You are disabled, and you have designed someone to return your ballot.

Directions and rules for designating someone to return your ballot are included in the official instructions included with your mailed ballot.

-OR-

Surrender your absentee ballot at your precinct polling place on Election Day and vote a regular ballot

-OR-

Vote a provisional ballot at the polls on Election Day if you cannot surrender your voted absentee ballot.
Voted absentee ballots cannot be delivered to the polling place on election day.

If you have questions about absentee voting, please get in touch with your County Auditor.

Absentee ballots will be mailed out on October 19th, 2022, and it’s also the first day that you can vote early at the Mahaska County Auditors Office, inside the Mahaska County Courthouse, for Mahaska County residents.

The last day a resident can request a ballot be mailed to them is October 24th, 2022, and it must be returned to the Auditors Office by election day.

Mahaska County Auditor Jody Van Patten explained, “We go through all of the stuff set out by the Secretary of State. We have many checks and balances within our office so that we can account for ballots at the end of the night.

Mahaska County Auditor Jody Van Patten said that if any voter has a question about voting or their ballot, please call the Auditor’s Office at 641.673.7148

There may be new polling locations for some voters in Mahaska County.

Polling Locations:

Adams/Lincoln/Monroe/Spring Creek/Keomah Village/University Park – vote at the Mahaska County Conservation Environmental Learning Center 2342 Hwy 92, Oskaloosa

Black Oak/Richland/Scott/Leighton/Pella – vote at the Leighton Christian Reformed Church 415 Reid St., Leighton

Cedar/Harrison/White Oak/Eddyville/Fremont/Rose Hill – vote at the Fremont Community Building 107 East Main St., Fremont

East Des Moines/Garfield/Jefferson/West Des Moines/Beacon – vote at the Beacon United Methodist Church 417 Kilburn Street, Beacon

Madison/Pleasant Grove/Prairie/Union/Barnes City/New Sharon – vote at the New Sharon City Park Building 102 West High St., New Sharon

Oskaloosa–1st Ward – vote at the Iowa State Extension Office building 212 North I St., Oskaloosa

Oskaloosa–2nd Ward – vote at the Gateway Church of the Nazarene 140 Gateway Drive, Oskaloosa

Oskaloosa–3rd Ward – vote at the Assembly of God Church Gym 716 South 17th St.(hwy 23), Oskaloosa

Oskaloosa–4th Ward – vote at the Senior Center (Old Grant School Building) 715 B Ave East, Oskaloosa