By Emily Kresse
After the months of candidate stops, TV ads, and handshaking Iowa has seen, the swing state will finally get the chance to vote.
Iowans interested in voting before Election Day, Nov. 8, will be able to starting today up until the day before the election.
Absentee voters have three options when choosing how to cast a ballot between now and Nov. 7; they can vote by mail, vote at their county Auditor’s Office, or at a satellite location in their county.
Many other states (12 do not) also allow early voting, but Iowa has one of the longest periods for early voting at 39 days.
Absentee voting is a convenient option for people who may be unable to go to the polls Nov. 8. Candidates also favor it, because it usually increases voter participation.
“Any victory in Iowa requires a robust ground game that allows you to have face-to-face conversations with people about how, when, and where they can vote early,” said Kate Waters, press secretary for the Hillary for Iowa campaign. The Republicans simply do not have operation to turn out the vote in Iowa.”
Hillary Clinton’s campaign is making efforts to reach voters who may need “extra push to get to the polls,” she said.
“The expanded range of voting options and hours of the early voting period, beginning this Thursday, gives us a great opportunity to mobilize targeted, harder-to-turn-out voters who often require more contacts from the campaign than more consistent voters,” she said.
The Iowa team will also take over Clinton’s national Snapchat account to highlight early voting activities in the state.
Republican National Committee official Lindsay Jancek said the Clinton campaign is not generating enough support to be successful in November.
“Meanwhile, the RNC is continuing our historic ground-game efforts in Iowa to ensure Republican victories up and down the ticket on Election Day,” she said.
The UI College Republicans are also planning to mobilize early voters. A group of them will head to the Iowa City Public Library to vote at the satellite location there, said Vice President Meaghan O’Brien.
That act is one example of the group’s solidarity, she said.
“The UI is an overwhelming liberal school, so we are more knit together because we rely on each other for support,” she said.
The College Republicans will also have table events and voter-registration events and will volunteer with local and state campaigns in an effort to help Republicans up and down the ticket.
The University of Iowa Democrats are celebrating the first day of early voting, too. Actor Sean Astin of Rudy and Lord of the Rings fame will be at the downtown Java House at 3:30 p.m. today.
The group is also encouraging Democrats to vote at the Iowa City Public Library from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. today.
The multipurpose room in the Petersen Residence Hall will be a satellite location to vote on Oct. 21 from 3-7 p.m. Early voting will be available at the lower level of the IMU Oct. 24-Oct. 28 from 9a.m.-3p.m.
Absentee-ballot requests can be made through the county auditor or in person at the Auditor’s Office, 913 S. Dubuque St.
Iowa also has same-day registration, so people not registered to vote can do so at their designated polling places on Election Day.