GILMAN — Early in-person voting begins on Oct. 15 for registered voters in the East Marshall Community School District ahead of the local election on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Residents may cast their ballots at the following county auditor’s offices during regular weekday business hours through Monday, Nov. 3:

• Marshall County Auditor’s Office: Marshall County Election Center, 107 S. 1st Avenue, Marshalltown

• Tama County Auditor’s Office: County Administration Building, 104 West State Street, Toledo

• Jasper County Auditor’s Office: Jasper County Courthouse, 101 1st Street North, Newton

• Poweshiek County Auditor’s Office: County Courthouse, 302 East Main Street, Montezuma

A valid photo ID is required to vote in person.

Residents who prefer to vote by mail may request absentee ballots through Monday, October 20. Completed absentee ballots must be received by the county auditor’s office by 8 p.m. on election day to be counted.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 4. Voters can find their polling location on the Iowa Secretary of State’s website or by contacting their county auditor’s office.

A sample ballot is available at this link. Voters may also access an absentee ballot request form by visiting https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/pdf/absenteeballotapp.pdf.

On the ballot is a proposed $19.8 million bond referendum that includes two separate questions. The first asks whether the district should be authorized to borrow funds for the project, while the second asks whether the district should be allowed to raise the levy above $2.70 per $1,000 of taxable property value, which is required by law to issue the bonds.

If both questions are approved by at least 60 percent of voters, the bond would fund updates to aging facilities, improve efficiency, and create modern learning spaces across the district.

“We encourage all eligible residents to make a plan for how and when they will vote,” said EMCSD Superintendent Kevin Seney. “Early and absentee voting make it easier for everyone to participate in this important decision for our community.”

An approved bond would carry a maximum tax impact of $4.05 per $1,000 of taxable property value. For a home in the district with a $250,000 value, this would equate to about $461 per year.

Based on the average assessed value for agricultural property, the annual per-acre tax impact in Marshall County would be approximately $6.48, $5.21 in Poweshiek County, $5.55 in Tama County, and $5.94 in Jasper County.

For more information about the proposed bond referendum, including how to vote early and answers to frequently asked questions, visit www.eastmarshallbond.org.