Polk County ballots with amendment spelling error remain valid, Secretary of State's office says

The Iowa Secretary of State’s office has determined that a spelling error on some Polk County ballots on a proposed constitutional amendment will not invalidate these ballots.

When early voting began Oct. 16, some ballots in Polk County were found to have contained a typo in its language on the gubernatorial line of succession amendment. A single word, “until,” was misspelled as “unitl” on at least some ballots cast in early voting.

The Polk County Auditor’s Office did not respond to requests for answers on how many ballots contained the error, or if the typo also appeared on absentee ballots that were sent out beginning Oct. 16.


A spokesperson with the Secretary of State’s office said their legal team had determined the ballots will still be valid after investigating the issue and speaking with Polk County Auditor Jamie Fitzgerald. The state office’s understanding is that Polk County did not reprint the ballots.




https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/10/23/polk-county-ballots-with-amendment-spelling-error-remain-valid-secretary-of-states-office-says/