PAUL D. PATE
SECRETARY OF STATE

LUCAS BUILDING
DES MOINES, IOWA 50319

OFFICE OF THE IOWA SECRETARY OF STATE
September 2, 2020
Official Guidance: No-Contact Ballot Delivery
Iowa Code §§ 53.8 and 53.17 provide Iowa voters with 4 ways in which their voted absentee
ballot can be returned to the correct County Auditor’s Office:
1.
2.
3.
4.

The voter may return their voted ballot via the USPS
The voter’s designee may return the voted ballot via USPS
The voter may personally deliver their voted ballot to the County Auditor’s Office
The voter’s designee may personally deliver the voted ballot to the County Auditor’s
Office

Recognizing that some voters may desire to personally deliver their voted ballot to their
County Auditor’s Office in a no-contact manner, the Secretary of State’s Office is issuing
the following official guidance related to no-contact ballot delivery systems for voted
absentee ballots:
1. The County Auditor’s Office is the location where voters may receive services
pursuant to Iowa Code §§48A.17, 50.20, 53.10 and 53.18.
2. A County Auditor may develop a no-contact ballot delivery system option located at
their office, as defined above, or on county owned and maintained property directly
surrounding the building where their office is located.
• It is recommended that the no-contact ballot delivery system be limited to the
collection of election materials.
• If the no-contact ballot delivery system is a multi-use system, only the County
Auditor or individuals employed by the County Auditor shall have access.
3. County Auditors must take all reasonable and necessary steps to ensure the
accessibility and security of the no-contact ballot delivery system.
• Such security measures may include placing the system within the regular
sight of the County Auditor or their staff, monitoring the system with a video
security system, or establishing some other type of monitoring system.
• A video security surveillance system may include existing systems in the
building where the County Auditor’s Office is located.
• If utilized, the video security surveillance system should create a recording,
which can be reviewed by the County Auditor and law enforcement in the event
misconduct occurs.
Phone 515-281-0145

Fax 515-242-5953

sos.iowa.gov

sos@sos.iowa.gov

 4. The no-contact ballot delivery system shall be available when the County Auditor’s
Office is open and staffed. If the no-contact ballot delivery system is available to
voters during hours when the County Auditor’s Office is closed, the County Auditor
must take all steps necessary to ensure that the system is always secure and
monitored.
5. The no-contact ballot delivery system shall be securely fastened to a stationary
surface or to an immovable object.
6. The no-contact ballot delivery systems shall be secured by a lock and may include a
tamper-evident seal. Only the County Auditor or individuals employed by the County
Auditor shall have access to the keys and/or combination of the lock.
7. Materials delivered via the no-contact ballot delivery system shall be retrieved by the
County Auditor or an individual employed by the County Auditor in an expeditious
manner, but not less than once per 24-hour period.
8. The County Auditor’s Office shall maintain a log of each time election materials are
retrieved from the no-contact ballot delivery system, including date, time and the
staff member who retrieved the materials.
9. On Election Day, the no-contact ballot delivery system shall be emptied at the time
polls close. A record shall be kept, including the date, time and staff member who
retrieved the materials, to memorialize that absentee ballots were delivered timely.
Any ballots retrieved at the time polls close shall be immediately delivered to the
Absentee and Special Voters Precinct Board for review and tabulation.
10. All elections materials received via a no-contact ballot delivery system shall be
processed in the same manner as election materials delivered directly to an
individual employed by the County Auditor’s Office in a traditional hand to hand
delivery.

Phone 515-281-0145

Fax 515-242-5953

sos.iowa.gov

sos@sos.iowa.gov