The Iowa Secretary of State’s Office says Linn County misreported 600 absentee ballots cast in the 2022 midterm election.
The Secretary of State’s Office caught the mistake as part of the series of checks that proceeds the state’s certification of the results. And the results have been corrected.
The Secretary of State recommends auditors verify their totals against the absentee precinct board’s totals before publishing their results. The Secretary of State’s Office said the Linn County Auditor’s Office did not follow this recommended step which resulted in the discrepancy.
Under a new state law auditors can face felony charges for failing to follow guidance from the Secretary of State.
The number of tests coming back positive for COVID-19 in Woodbury County ticked up last week, but community transmission remains "low," according to the CDC.
Data updated by the Iowa Department of Public Health on Tuesday, shows 83 positive tests, which is up from 67 positive tests reported on Nov. 1. Sixty positive tests were reported on Oct. 25.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID Data Tracker rates Woodbury County's community transmission level as low. That level was calculated on Nov. 3 using data from Oct. 27 to Nov. 2.
When community transmission is low, the CDC recommends that individuals stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and get tested if they have symptoms. Wearing a mask is advised on public transportation and when a person has symptoms, tests positive for the virus, or has been exposed to someone with COVID-19.
