Linn County auditor says young people not voting yet
AP/Hunter
10/12/20
Absentee ballot requests have set an all time record in Iowa, but the Linn County auditor’s office says young people aren’t voting yet.
As of Friday, Secretary of State Paul Pate says that nearly 704,000 requests for absentee ballots have been received statewide. The previous high was four years ago when over 693,000 requests came in.
Democrats overwhelmingly are the highest requesters. Their 365,000 plus requests are higher than the 212,000 Republican and 124,000 no-party requests combined.
Pate says over 96,000 absentee ballots have already been returned.
KCRG TV reports that Linn County has already received nearly 5600 ballots, either by mail or by early in-person voting. The Auditor’s Office reports that so far, only about 10% of those are from voters under 35. Auditor Joel Miller says he’s concerned that young people may not be voting or registering to vote.
Johnson County reports over 14,000 ballots cast, mailed in or dropped off in the first week of early voting. Only about 6 percent of those are from voters 25 and younger, but the Auditor’s office expects that number to surge when the IMU satellite location opens from October 19th through the 23rd.
Residents have until October 24th to register at the County Auditor’s office or online at mymvd.iowadot.gov
In Johnson County, drive-through voting continues today at the parking ramp north of the Health and Human Services building on South Dubuque Street. Hours are 8-5 weekdays. Also today, the first satellite voting site will be open at the Clear Creek Amana West Campus Building in Tiffin from 7am to 7pm.