Absentee voting for General Election begins Friday

The absentee voting period for the state’s 2020 General Election begins today.  

To request an absentee ballot, voters must submit an absentee ballot application form to the county auditor.  Absentee ballot application forms can be requested from the county auditor or downloaded from the Secretary of State’s website.  

Voters who completed an absentee ballot application form earlier this year will receive a ballot if they marked the option of receiving absentee ballots for all elections or the general election on the request form.  

Lake County Auditor Paula Barrick told county commissioners during their meeting Thursday that the county is sending out more than 16-hundred absentee ballots.  Barrick requested approval from the commission to hire two temporary part-time employees to help with the absentee ballot processing.  Commissioners approved the hiring of Helen Thiele and Peggy Vickmark at a rate of $12.50 an hour.

Also on Thursday, Lake County Commissioners approved a resolution designating a new location for General Election voting for three of the county’s precincts for this year.  The resolution changes the polling place for the rural precincts that have previously voted at the Dakota Prairie Playhouse in Madison.  Because the Playhouse is not large enough for social distancing for these precincts and the three city wards, voting for the three rural precincts will now take place at the Lake County 4-H Center.  These precincts include Herman and Winfred Townships, Farmington, Leroy, Clarno, and Orland Townships, and Lakeview Township.  

The General Election is November 3rd.