Linn County auditor removes drop boxes at Hy-Vee locations, one still available outside office

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - The top elections official in Linn County is reducing the number of dropboxes for materials related to the upcoming November election, according to his office.

Linn County Auditor Joel Miller said the three drop boxes at Hy-Vee locations in the county will be removed. The department will continue to operate a dropbox outside of the Linn County Public Service Center at 935 2nd Street SW.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate issued guidance in August which said that dropboxes were not allowed under state rules, despite their usage in the past. Pate later refined that guidance, saying that they must be placed on county property or inside a county building. The guidance also stated that officials must take steps to ensure the security of the boxes.

Ballot dropboxes have been seen as a way to allow a no-contact way to turn in a ballot during the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. Those that are concerned about the reliability of the United States Postal Service could also avoid using it through a dropbox system.

The dropbox can be used to return absentee ballots after they are mailed out on October 5. The one located outside of the county building will be monitored by security cameras.