Early, in-person absentee voting at county auditors’ offices across Iowa begins Wednesday, October 14, ahead of the November 3, 2026, general election. County auditors will also begin mailing absentee ballots to voters who requested them.
In Wapello County, voters can cast absentee ballots in person at the Wapello County Auditor’s Office, located at the Wapello County Courthouse, 101 W. Fourth Street in Ottumwa. The office’s regular business hours are Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Written requests for absentee ballots to be mailed must be received by 5 p.m. Monday, October 19. Wapello County has also scheduled in-person absentee voting for Saturday, October 31, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The final day for in-person absentee voting is Monday, November 2.
On Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Absentee ballots must be received by the county auditor by 8 p.m. Election Day. Voters should follow the instructions provided with their ballots, including completing the required signature fields.
Winnebago County Auditor Karla Weiss, president of the Iowa State Association of County Auditors, emphasized the importance of completing absentee ballots correctly.
“If you don’t do that, it won’t count, so just make sure that you take your time, fill everything out, make sure that you are signing every place that needs signed,” Weiss said. “That’s probably one of the most important things.”
Political parties and candidates are also organizing voter outreach efforts ahead of the election.
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said Democratic campaigns for governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House are coordinating voter outreach efforts focused on direct contact with voters. During an interview on Iowa PBS’s Iowa Press, Hart said the party has more than 60 organizers working in Iowa and more than 30 campaign offices.
Iowa Republican Party Chair Jeff Kaufmann also discussed the party’s plans to encourage voter participation. Kaufmann said U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, who is not seeking reelection, made a contribution from her campaign funds to support early-voting efforts.
During a recent appearance on Iowa Press, Kaufmann said the Republican Party of Iowa plans to conduct what he described as its largest get-out-the-vote effort in the party’s history. He also said the effort would include encouraging Republicans to vote absentee.
Absentee voting patterns differed between the two major parties in the 2024 election. Published figures cited in the original report indicated that approximately 10,000 more Republicans than Democrats cast absentee ballots that year. The figure should be confirmed against official Iowa election records before publication.
Wapello County residents can contact the Auditor’s Office at 641-683-0020 or visit the county’s official elections website for information about voting procedures, absentee ballots and polling locations:
