Kim Schaa, Hamilton County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections, announces absentee ballots are now available for the Sept. 12 School Election.

To obtain an absentee ballot, a qualified voter must complete an Official Absentee Ballot Request Form and submit it to the Hamilton County Auditor’s Office. Upon receipt of the request form, an absentee ballot and voting instructions will be mailed to you.

Official Absentee Ballot Request Forms are available at www.hamiltoncounty.org, or www.sos.state.ia.us. If you do not have printer capability or access to the internet, call the Auditor’s Office at 832-9510 to have a request form mailed.

The deadline to request an absentee ballot to be mailed to the voter is 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8.

In lieu of the Iowa Absentee Ballot Request Form, you may submit a written request for an absentee ballot on a piece of paper no smaller than 3 by 5 inches. The request must contain the following required information:

• name

• date of birth

• address (must be street address, not P.O. box)

• party affiliation (for primary elections

• name and date of election

• signature and date

The last day to cast an absentee ballot at the Auditor’s office is Sept. 12 by 11 a.m.