IOWA CITY, Iowa — A split Iowa Supreme Court is upholding a new Republican-backed law that will bar county elections commissioners from mailing absentee ballots this week to thousands of people who omitted information on their applications.
The 4-3 ruling means voters who want to cast ballots by mail for the Nov. 3 election must complete their absentee ballot applications before Saturday’s deadline in order to qualify.
Auditors will not be allowed to use the state’s voter registration system to fill in any blanks on submitted applications.
Dissenting justices contend that the ruling will “likely cause thousands of voters to not receive their ballot in time to use it."