Absentee Ballot Requests On The Rise

More than 10,000 people have requested absentee ballots in Linn County for the upcoming June primary. You can thank the coronavirus pandemic for that. CBS2 reports that numbers easily outpaces the ballot requests for both the 2016 and 2018 elections.

It is a trend that will likely repeat itself in states and counties across the country as the ongoing pandemic keeps people inside and not even thinking about venturing out to the polls. CBS2 notes that Iowa election officials are urging Iowans to vote by absentee to help stop the spread of the virus. Linn County Auditor Joel Miller says it's the right thing to do.

We appreciate the community's responsible choice to vote from home. We encourage voters to request an absentee ballot and we appreciate their patience as we process these requests.

Miller says that more than half of the ballots were mailed out by Thursday, with the other half being sent out by the end of the week.