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SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

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The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

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Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

Iowa Confident Rejected Ballots Won't Be an Issue

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Thursday, October 29, 2020   

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Across the U.S., absentee ballots are being mailed in at historic levels.

That's created questions about more rejected votes because of mistakes, and whether that will affect the election outcome in battleground states like Iowa.

But the Iowa Secretary of State said there's no reason for panic.

An analysis by a collection of media groups predicts as many as one million absentee ballots across the country could be invalidated because of incomplete information from people not used to voting this way.

Paul Pate, Iowa Secretary of State, said Iowa law requires county auditors to follow up with voters when there's a mistake, such as a missing signature.

"Our auditors make every effort to reach out to that voter to give them an opportunity to correct the problem," Pate promised.

That follow-up by auditors isn't required in some other states.

In the 2016 election, more than 4,000 early votes in Iowa were invalidated, which was among the lowest levels in the nation.

However, because of the pandemic, almost 950,000 Iowans have requested absentee ballots, and there's no statewide data yet to determine how many are at risk of rejection.

Of the nearly one million absentee ballot requests, Pate said more than 800,000 have been received by his office.

He noted even when an auditor is trying to follow up on an incomplete ballot, there can be instances where they encounter difficulties.

"Some people may not have the accurate phone numbers on file, or the address that they've given us when we reach out to them via the mail," Pate explained.

He said that's why it's crucial to make sure your contact information is accurate.

If you are contacted about a mail-in ballot issue, you have until 5:00 p.m. on Nov. 2, the day before the election, to visit your county auditor and address the issue.

If that deadline is missed, you can still head to your polling location and vote in person on Election Day.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.


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