Early voting for the Nov. 3 election is in full gear in Marshall County.

Auditor Nan Benson said early voting began Oct. 15, and voters have already walked through the doors at the Election Center.

“We had 25 voters the first day,” she said. “With previous city and school elections, we might have had six. There’s been a steady stream of voters [this time].”

Benson and her staff also finished mailing ballots on Wednesday, and have even received some back.

“I think we mailed around 83, 84 ballots, which is not a huge number, but I think we will have more voters this time because of the school bond issues for East Marshall and West Marshall community school districts,” she said.

Benson is hopeful, based on the early voting thus far, that the number of voters for the local elections will be higher than previous years.

“We always get around 7,000 to 8,000 voters, and we have 24,000-plus registered voters in Marshall County,” she said. “We usually get 20,000-plus for Presidential voting. That is a big difference.”

Benson said the votes for the local elections matter more as the officials who get elected affect tax rates, determine rules and ordinances. Unfortunately, she has encountered many residents who told her they only vote for the President.

For Marshall County voters who want to make their voices heard early, Benson said they will need to bring a form of identification and a piece of mail if the address on the ID does not match the voter information. She urged residents to also make sure their driver’s license or other form of ID have not expired.

While a voter will only see one ballot in the voting booth, Benson’s department is dealing with 28 different ones, as all of the school districts and the cities within the county boundaries are holding elections.

For example, she said there are only 19 registered Marshall County voters who also live within the Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community School District, which is holding an election for school board members and a $17.3 million bond issue. So, the county had to get ballots for those voters printed.

Voters in Haverhill will see a different ballot than Marshalltown or Gladbrook-Reinbeck residents as they cast votes for at-large Haverhill City Council seats, the Marshalltown Community School Board and the Iowa Valley Community College District Board of Directors.

Benson said for some school board elections, it might take a little longer to get official winning results. If Marshall County canvasses the votes for the GMG School District early in the night, voters will have to wait for the count to finish in Tama County before a winner is announced.

“It’s an interesting process,” she said. “The first canvas will be quick. The second canvas will have other counties involved.”

EARLY VOTING:

Marshall County residents can go to the Election Center, 107 S. First Ave. to cast their ballots, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

POLLING LOCATIONS:

Benson said the polling locations in the county have not changed. The day of the Nov. 3 election, Marshalltown residents can go to their designated polling location to cast their ballots.

• Marshalltown Public Library, 105 W. Boone St. for Ward 1 voters;

• Iowa Veterans Home Malloy Hall, 1301 Summit St. for Ward 2 voters;

• Our Savior Lutheran Church, 3001 S. Sixth St. for Ward 3 voters;

• Redeemer Lutheran Church, 1600 S. Center St. for Ward 4 voters;

• Marshalltown Community College Admin Building, 3702 S. Center St.

In other Marshall County communities, residents can vote at:

• Clemons — Orphan Grain Train, 302 Bevins St.;

• Green Mountain — Community Park Building, 111 Woolston St.;

• LeGrand — Community Building, 206 N. Vine St.;

• Liscomb — Community Building, 114 Main St.;

• Melbourne — Rec Center, 613 Main St.;

• State Center — City Hall, 118 E. Main St.

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Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.