Hamilton County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections Kim Schaa wants Hamilton County voters to know that absentee ballots will be available for the November 5 General Election beginning October 16.

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 to have a request form mailed to you. That number is 515-832-9510.

The deadline to request an absentee ballot to be mailed to the voter is 5 p.m. on Monday, October 21.

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;

— ID number-Iowa driver’s license or non-operator ID number or 4-digit voter PIN;

— Address. This must be a street address, not a Post Office box;

— Mailing address for the absentee ballot, if different from Hamilton County voting address;

— Phone number and email address — this is helpful to us if the auditor’s office needs to contact you;

— Name and date of election — e.g., General Election, November 5, 2024;

— Signature and date.

The Hamilton County Auditor’s Office will be open one Saturday before the election. That is Saturday, November 2, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The last day to cast an absentee ballot in person at the auditor’s office is Monday, November 4, by 4:30 p.m.