IOWA - County auditors around the state of Iowa are bracing for long lines at polling places for Tuesday's general election. Polling precincts are open from 7 am to 9 pm Tuesday.
Iowa now has more than two-million (2,095,581) active registered voters, a new record. And nearly half that number (955,971) have voted early.
Iowa law requires counties to take steps to have absentee ballots counted by 10 p.m. on Election Night, an hour after polls will close.
Secretary of State Paul Pate publicly criticized Linn County Auditor Joel Miller, who asked for additional time to tabulate the votes.
But Johnson County Auditor Travis Weipert thinks there could be some wiggle room in the law. "There's some county attorneys, maybe, possibly from what I'm hearing, saying that, no, you can keep counting after 10 pm if needed," Weipert told KCRG-TV
Meanwhile, mailed ballots that were postmarked by Monday and arrive by noon next Monday, November 9, will be counted as they arrive.
Several races within Iowa have been identified as competitive. They include the presidential election between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, and the U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent Joni Ernst and Democrat Theresa Greenfield. The Senate contest could also help determine which party controls the U.S. Senate.