Senate District 22 Special Election: When to Return Absentee Ballots

Absentee ballots must be postmarked by midnight today to be counted in the special election to determine who will represent Senate District 22. They must be received by noon Monday, Dec. 17, to be counted.

They may also be hand-delivered by 9 p.m. Tuesday to the election offices in Dallas and Polk Counties.

The district includes Waukee, Clive, Windsor Heights and part of West Des Moines. Tuesday’s special election was called after Sen. Pat Ward died in mid-October, too late for Republicans to choose another candidate to face Democrat Desmund Adams in the general election.

Now, Adams is facing Republican Charles Schneider, who was nominated in a special convention on Oct. 8.

Both candidates have focused heavily on early voting in the short campaign. Voters can also vote at the polls, which are open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday. Here’s how to find polling places in Polk County, and here’s how to find polling places in Dallas County.

To learn more about the candidates, refer to our live coverage of a candidate forum held earlier this month in Waukee or type “Senate District 22” in the search field on the Patch homepage.