The Polk County Clerk’s office is in the process of canvassing the voter registration records.
According to a news release from Polk County Clerk Rachel Lightfoot, this process is required to be completed every two years per state statute.
“Currently, Polk County has over 19,000 registered voters,” the release stated.
As a part of this process, the release stated, the county clerk’s office works with the National Change of Address program, a division of the U. S. Postal Service that provides the office with information pertaining to registered voters who have changed their addresses through the post office.
“If a voter has filed a change of address, they should be receiving an address confirmation notice from the Clerk’s office in the months of December and January,” the release stated. “This form needs to be filled out and returned to the county clerk’s office as soon as possible.”
The release stated new voter identification cards are scheduled to be mailed out in February 2022.
These voter ID cards will be mailed to the address the county clerk’s office has on file and cannot be forwarded, the release stated. Therefore, if a person is a registered voter and has had a change of address, they will need to notify the county clerk’s office to make a change.
“Unfortunately, a change of address cannot be taken by phone as state statute requires a signature by the registered voter before changing an address,” the release stated. “Therefore, we encourage you to come into our office, or send us a signed letter through the mail with your corrected address.”
When registered voters receive their new voter ID cards, they should check them carefully to make sure that all the information is correct, the release stated. The clerk’s office encourages voters to please discard old voter ID cards upon receiving the new card.
The release stated the clerk’s office hopes this process will make voters’ experiences at the polls quicker and more efficient in upcoming elections. If people have questions, they should contact the Polk County Clerk’s office at 417-326-4031.