The Iowa Democratic Party sent new absentee ballot request forms to several thousand voters this month after the shape of the original forms prevented them from being automatically processed by the postal service.
According to IDP spokesperson Paige Godden, the mailer was initially sent to about 36,000 voters with a history of absentee voting. She said the party received a call Sept. 9 that there was a problem with the shape of the absentee ballot request form.
Godden said the IDP’s mail vendor looked into the issue and discovered that the form was not “machinable” by the postal service, which means it couldn’t be processed by automated equipment — even though it was the same form the IDP has used “for many years.”
We are confident that we can resolve all the concerns around that.Rita Hart, Iowa Democratic Party Chair
She said the IDP immediately had a new form made that was mailed to the same voters on Sept. 17, along with information urging voters to submit a second request in case their first request wasn’t processed.
Godden said, as of Wednesday morning, more than 21,000 voters who received ballot request forms from the IDP submitted a request to their county auditor.
IDP Chair Rita Hart was asked about the issue during a news conference Monday.
“There was a change in postal regulations that took our vendor by surprise,” Hart said. “And so those absentee ballot requests have been sent out again, and we have worked with our county auditors across the state to resolve that issue. So, we are confident that we can resolve all the concerns around that.”
Godden said the IDP is working with local party officials to help voters who may have additional questions.
What to know about absentee voting
In a news release Thursday about voting, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate recommended that political parties and candidates that mail absentee ballot requests to Iowans ensure they are following state law. He also recommended that they verify with the post office that their mail pieces are in compliance with postal regulations, confirm the cost of return postage and include an accurate return address.
Pate also said that some voters may receive multiple ballot request forms from various groups. He said if county auditors receive more than one request from a single voter, they have procedures in place to ensure only one absentee ballot is mailed to the voter.
Iowa voters can check the state’s ballot tracking system to see if their absentee ballot request was received by their county auditor.
Iowans can request absentee ballots until Oct. 21, but election officials are urging people who want to vote by mail to submit their requests immediately. County auditors can start mailing ballots to voters on Oct. 16. Completed ballots must be received by the voter’s county auditor by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5, in order to be counted.
More information about voting is available at VoterReady.Iowa.Gov.
