The Warren County Auditor’s office has sent at least two voters an “incorrect ballot style” in response to absentee ballot requests. In one instance, The Iowa Standard was told a couple living at the same residence received a proper ballot and a ballot for an entirely different city.
According to a release from the Warren County Auditor, the office has addressed the voters by providing the correct ballot style. The Iowa Standard emailed the auditor’s office to ask how they can be sure the wrong ballots were sent to two people and what mechanisms are in place to ensure a wrong ballot wasn’t sent to a voter and received by the auditor’s office and is set to be counted toward the election results.
We have not received a response.
After the error was discovered, it is said “someone” is calling people to instruct them to make sure they received the proper ballot. The caller is instructing voters to unseal or open the ballot to check it. However, taking the ballot out of the white return affidavit envelope after it has been sealed means the ballot cannot be counted.
If voters have opened their ballot after sealing it, they are encouraged to call the auditor’s office at 515-690-9180. The auditor’s office states it will void the ballot and replace it with a new ballot and envelope.
