If you plan to vote in person in Tuesday’s Mills County Primary Election, there’s a strong possibility your polling site isn’t the same place you voted in 2018 or 2016.
Because of concerns about the COVID-19 coronavirus and the availability of election workers, voting precincts have been consolidated into the following four polling sites:
Glenwood Community High School - for all City of Glenwood precincts, Glenwood Township, Pacific Junction, Lyons and Plattville Townships.
Lakin Community Center in Malvern - for City of Malvern, Silver Creek, Center and Rawles Townships and the portion of Tabor in Mills County.
St. John Lutheran Church in Mineola - for Oak and Saint Mary Townships, city of Silver City and Ingraham Township.
East Mills Elementary, Hastings - for the cities of Henderson, Emerson and Hastings along with Anderson, White Cloud, Deer Creek and Indian Creek Townships.
“We have done this consolidation like the rest of Iowa counties so that we could find enough precinct election workers,” Mills County Auditor Carol Robertson said in a statement earlier this spring. “I assure you we are using all protective measures at our locations to keep you and our workers safe.”
Although the deadline for requesting an absentee ballot has passed, Robertson said absentee voting is still available until Monday, June 1. As of earlier this week, over 2,700 absentee ballots had been mailed out to Mills County residents and approximately 1,700 had been returned.
The Mills County Courthouse is currently closed, but early “in-person” voting is also available via curbside service at the south entrance to the courthouse in Glenwood. Voters opting for the curbside service should pull their vehicle into one of the designated parking stalls outside the courthouse and then call the auditor’s office (712-527-3146) for assistance. An auditor’s office employee will bring a ballot to the voter’s vehicle.
The auditor’s office will be open for extended hours later this week, including Saturday, May 30, to assist curbside voters and answer election-related questions.
Auditor’s office hours leading up to Tuesday’s election are as follows:
Wednesday, May 27, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.; Thursday, May 28, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.; Friday, May 29, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m; Saturday, May 30, 7 a.m. - 3 p.m.; Monday, June 1, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
On Tuesday, the four polling sites in Mills County will be open from 7 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Voters taking part in the primary election have the option of casting either a Republican Party or Democratic Party ballot.
For additional election information, call the Mills County Auditor’s Office at 712-527-3146.
