Health Care Facility Residents

You may request an absentee ballot if you live in a designated health care facility or are currently residing in a hospital.

Request Deadline

The Absentee Ballot Request Form (PDF) must be received in the Election Services' Office by 5 p.m. 15 days before election day.

Voters, who become a resident at the health care facility or patient in a hospital, after 5 p.m. 15 day before an election may request a ballot in the following ways:

  • Phone the Auditor's Office four hours before the polls close (4 p.m.)
  • Fax the the Auditor's Office four hours before the polls close (4 p.m.)
  • Email the the Auditor's Office four hours before the polls close (4 p.m.)
  • Make their request to the bipartisan team delivering ballots to other voters.

 Our phone number is 319-892-5300 or email the elections office.

Receiving the Ballot

Under Iowa law, a bipartisan team of election officials must deliver the absentee ballot to you. The Election Services' Office will notify your activities director when the team will be delivering the ballots to the health care facility residents.

If you will not be available during that time, you may notify our office to schedule another time for the bipartisan team to come out. Since Linn County has multiple health care facilities to visit, the office tries to schedule multiple voters when rescheduling for each health care facility.

The team members will give you your absentee ballot and wait while you mark it. If you need help marking your ballot, you may have someone assist you. You may choose anyone except your employer, your employer's agent, or an officer/agent of your union. You may also ask the team members for help. You will be asked to sign a form showing you asked for help. If you are not physically able to sign the forms, you can use a rubber stamp or mark to sign. You may also ask for assistance or have someone sign the form on your behalf as long as it is in your presence and with your permission.

The team members will return your voted ballot back to the Election Services' Office for counting on election day.

The team members are required by law to travel together and stay together while they deliver ballots and while voters mark the ballot.