School board and city council voting combined in this year’s election.

Don’t forget that the often very important school board and city council elections take place November 2nd this year. In something new that may confuse some folks, both elections have been combined. So when you go into vote you will get a ballot that has both elections on it.

This is the result of election changes that Republicans in the Iowa legislature pushed through. The amount of time was cut in half to 20 days. That began last week on October 13th. Before Election Day you can vote at the county auditor’s office or by mail. Be advised that voting by mail has a much shortened window this year.

Registration status and the absentee request form can be found on the Secretary of State’s website. But the request must be INTO your local county auditor’s office by 5PM Monday October 18th. That is two days from now. Remember also that the USPS is once again slowing down mail service. Be very aware of this if you decide to vote by mail. Mailed ballots must be delivered to the county auditor by the time the polls close on November 2nd.

We will be going into the county auditor’s office to vote. This is  battle for my disabled wife, but we simply must vote.

No matter how you vote you will be required to bring some form of identification. The Des Moines Register has a good list of what constitutes a valid ID:

Valid forms of ID include:

• Iowa driver’s license
• Iowa non-driver ID card
• Out-of-state driver’s license or non-driver ID card
• U.S. passport
• U.S. military or veteran ID
• ID card issued by an employer
• Student ID issued by Iowa high school or college
• Tribal ID

If your ID doesn’t contain your current address, you must provide another document that contains your name and address. Valid proof of residency includes:

• Residential lease

• Utility or cellphone bill

• Bank statement

• Paycheck

• Government check or other government document

• Property tax statement

In case you have missed it, voting in these local races has never been more important. For one thing, this is where the Republican Party has made inroads in changing laws and school directions in recent years. The whole made up “controversy” of things like critical race theory will be resolved in the halls of the school boards. Teaching our children truth instead of fairy tales seems to be a value worth going for.

Also don’t forget that school boards can make policy concerning health policies in the schools that your children attend.

Please be sure to vote this year!