Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. All 26 polling places in Cerro Gordo County meet federal and state requirements for accessibility.

Yes. If you need assistance filling out your ballot ask a poll worker for help. A team of one republican and one democrat will come over and help you mark your ballot. Also available in each polling location is a ballot marking device that will read you all of the choices and then print out your marked ballot.

Yes. Iowa law allows for Election Day registration if you are able to provide proof of identification (i.e. valid photo ID) and proof of residency (i.e. utility bill with your name on it if your ID has an outdated address on it). If you are unable to provide one or both of these you are allowed to bring someone with you to attest that you have the right to vote.

Yes. If you have not returned your absentee ballot you may go to your polling place on Election Day and vote a regular ballot.

Beginning January 1, 2019, Iowa voters will be required to show a driver’s license, non-driver’s ID, passport, military ID, veterans ID, Tribal ID or Voter ID Card at the polls before they vote. Voters, starting in 2019, without an ID may cast a provisional ballot or have another registered voter attest to their identity.

Yes. While it is recommended that you update your information prior to Election Day to speed things up at the polls, you may wait and do so on Election Day. If you are updating your address just make sure you are going to the polling place for your new address. When updating your address you will now need to provide proof of identity and proof of residency.

Yes. If you are unable to go inside the polling place a team of election workers will be sent out to your car to help you vote.

Yes. When you go to vote, a poll worker will verify with the auditor’s office that your absentee ballot has not been returned. If it is confirmed that the auditor’s office has not received a ballot from you then you will be given a new ballot to vote there.

No. Iowa law prohibits a person from revealing how another person voted.

Starting in January of 2019 you will be required to show identification. If you need to register to vote on Election Day, you must bring proof of identification and proof of residency.

You will need to sign the form, swearing or affirming that:

• You are registered to vote in Cerro Gordo County
• You live in the precinct where you are voting
• You live at the address illustrated on the Voter's Declaration of Eligibility form
• You have not and will not vote in any other precinct at this election

Starting in 2019, if you do not have your ID with you, you may either cast a provisional ballot or have another registered voter attest to your identity. Learn more about provisional ballots and attesting on our Voter ID page.

If you don't have an Iowa driver's license or non-operator ID, you may use one of these forms of ID:

• Out-of-state Driver's License or Non-operator's ID 
• U.S. Passport
• U.S. Military ID or Veteran's ID
• ID card issued by an employer
• Student ID issued by Iowa high school or college
• Tribal ID card/document

The above IDs must display the voter's photo and an expiration date that is unexpired.

If your photo ID does not contain your current address, you may use another document to prove where you live. Proof of residence must include name and current address and be current within 45 days; may be in electronic format or on paper. The following are acceptable proofs of residence:

• Residential lease
• Utility bill (including a cell phone bill)
• Bank statement
• Paycheck
• Government check
• Other government document
• Property tax statement (current within 45 days of final payment date)

For a student at an Iowa community college or public university, "other government documents" that can be used to prove residency in the precinct include:

• A printed page from an online student directory
• A printed page from an online college or university billing
• A copy of the residence hall contract

The above forms must be current and must list the student's name and local address.

For a student at a private college,  you may use a housing contract to meet the definition of a "residential lease." The contract must:

• Be effective for the current semester or term
• List the student's name
• Provide the building name where the student lives and a room number, if applicable

Absentee Voting Information

So long as you are in line to vote at the time the polls close you will be allowed to vote. 

If a voter’s eligibility is in question on Election Day they are allowed to cast a provisional ballot. After the voter marks their ballot and returns it to the poll worker, the voter is required to provide the necessary identification or documentation 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.

If it is determined that you do have the right to vote in the precinct in which you voted, your ballot will then be counted and included in the final vote total.

Cerro Gordo County uses a computerized election register to validate each voter. Once a precinct official determines the voter is eligible to cast a ballot, the system will print a Voter's Declaration of Eligibility form.

Voters in each precinct will cast votes on paper ballots that will be counted by ballot scanners. Absentee ballots will be counted by a high speed ballot scanner.

You will exchange the completed and signed Voter's Declaration of Eligibility form for a ballot and be directed to a voting booth to mark the ballot.

The final step will be for you to insert your voted ballot into the ballot scanner to be counted.

Election results from absentee ballots will be released shortly after the polls close on Election Day. Results from the polling places will be accumulated as precincts report on election night.

Provisional ballots will be reviewed and determined by the Absentee and Special Voters Precinct Board (ASVP Board) within a week of Election Day. The ASVP Board is composed of precinct officials appointed by the Democratic and Republican Parties, and by the County Auditor.

Election night results are unofficial. They do not include valid provisional ballots and valid absentee ballots received after Election Day. Official election results will be certified at the election canvass.

The computerized election register offers a voter the option of scanning a driver's license or registered voter card as a fast and more efficient check-in method, which reduces the potential for human error and streamlines the process.