By: Donovan W. Mann – donovanm@977thebolt
Humboldt County, IA – The Humboldt County Auditor is explaining the voting process for new and experienced voters alike.
On Tuesday, Nov. 3 Humboldt County will join the rest of the country in casting their ballots at the polls for the 2020 General Election. Humboldt County Auditor Peggy Rice explains the process of voting at the polls for the first time voter and anyone who might need a refresher.
The first part of the process is verification of eligibility to vote. Rice says that after a voter walks through the door they will notice hand sanitizer and masks if they wish to use it. They will make their way to the first station to check in. There an election official will check their driver’s license to verify that the voter is eligible. The voter will then receive a declaration of eligibility form to sign. Following these steps the officials will motion the voter to the next station.
The second step is visiting the next election officials to receive a ballot that is based on where you live in the county. Rice says that there is a different ballot for those who live “out in the country” versus those who live in a town. The election official will give the voter the appropriate ballot. At the beginning of the process a voter will have received a pen and Rice says that is the pen a voter should be using throughout the entire process and will take with them at the end of the process. “We’re not going to sterilize pens, we’re not going to share pens.”
Step three is filling out and casting the ballot. The auditor says that the voters will take their ballot and a secrecy sleeve if they wish to have one and go to the voting booth. Once the ballot is filled out the voter will take it to the machine that processes the ballot. The voter will then be done and can throw away their secrecy sleeve and pen or take their pen with them.
Polling places in Humboldt County and the rest of Iowa will open up at 7 am and be open until 9 pm on Tuesday, Nov. 3. If a voter is in line before the polls close they will be allowed to vote.
KHBT 97.7 the Bolt will be providing election updates for the local results live from the Humboldt County Court House as they are made available starting around 9 pm following the closure of the polls.