Secretary of State of Iowa

An Iowa woman, former Iowa Nurses Association executive director Myers, voted early with her son on Oct. 16, then died later that same day at age 90. Despite casting a legal ballot, her vote will be rejected under an Iowa law requiring election officials to discard ballots once they receive proof a voter died before Election Day, such as death records or an obituary. Her ballot will be set aside and sent to a special precinct board for formal rejection. Iowa is one of 12 states with such laws, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Her son is sharing her story publicly.

Michigan's Secretary of State's office reports absentee ballot returns running 30% ahead of the 2022 midterm cycle, with 201,909 ballots returned as of Oct. 6, compared with 155,142 at the equivalent point four years earlier. More than 2 million Michigan voters have requested absentee ballots this year, an increase officials attribute mainly to growth in the permanent absentee voter list rather than a surge in overall turnout enthusiasm. Michigan's ballot features races for governor, attorney general, secretary of state, the Legislature, and a competitive open U.S. Senate seat between Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers.

Other states are moving into their voting windows. California counties including Stanislaus have begun mailing ballots ahead of an Oct. 19 registration deadline. Virginia's early in-person voting runs through Oct. 31, with mail ballots due by Election Day, Nov. 3; its ballot includes a U.S. Senate seat and all 11 House seats. Iowa's absentee window opens Oct. 14, with written ballot requests due by Oct. 19 and completed ballots due by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3; its ballot includes governor, U.S. Senate and House, and other statewide offices.