Special Election

NOTICE TO VOTERS OF SPECIAL ELECTION

TUESDAY September 1, 2026

Mills County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections, Amber Farnan, hereby gives notice that there will be a SPECIAL ELECTION in the City of Hastings to fill a vacancy on the City Council on Tuesday September 1, 2026. Qualified electors of the city of Hastings will vote at the polling place designated below.

CANDIDATE FILING: 

Persons interested in running for the open seat on the City of Hastings City Council can pick up and turn in nomination papers at the Mills County Auditor’s Office. Interested candidates will need to complete an Affidavit of Candidacy and collect signatures on Nomination Petitions.

Nomination Papers can also be found at the Iowa Secretary of State’s website:

https://sos.iowa.gov/city-elections 

Filling period is open now until 5:00 p.m. on Friday, August 7, 2026.

Interested candidates will need to collect a minimum number of signatures listed below.

POLL HOURS: 

The Polls will open at 7:00 AM and close at 8:00 PM, as provided by law.

VOTER INFORMATION: 

Voters are required to provide an approved form of photo ID at the polling place before receiving and casting a ballot. A voter who is unable to provide an approved form of ID (or prove residence if required) may:

For additional information about providing proof of identity and/or residency visit: https://voterready.iowa.gov/ or call (712) 527-3146.

VOTER REGISTRATION INFORMATION: 

Voters must be registered to vote to participate in the Special Election. Registration may be done in the following ways:

ABSENTEE VOTING BY MAIL:

A ballot may be mailed to voters upon their request. Requests can be made in writing (voters must include their name, ID #, address, date of birth, name and date of the election, voter signature, and signature date) or on an official Absentee Ballot Request form. Official forms may be obtained by contacting the Auditor’s office or on our website at https://www.millscountyiowa.gov/ . Absentee Ballot requests must be received by the Auditor’s Office no later than 5:00 PM on Monday, August 17, 2026.

Absentee ballots must be returned to the Auditor’s office no later than 8:00 PM on Tuesday, September 1, 2026. Postmark dates DO NOT count. Absentee ballots CANNOT be placed in the drop box outside the Courthouse. 

Voters may check the status of their absentee ballot by contacting the Mills County Auditor’s Office or at: https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/absenteeballotstatus/absentee/search 

ABSENTEE VOTING IN PERSON:

Absentee ballots will be available no sooner than Wednesday, August 12, 2026, at the Mills County Auditor’s Office and may be voted in the office until 4:30 PM on Monday, August 31, 2026.

PUBLIC TEST OF VOTING EQUIPMENT: 

Both the Unisyn Freedom Vote Scan voting system and ballot marking devices which will be use in the Special Election will be tested starting at 10:00 AM on Thursday, August 21, 2025, and will continue Friday, August 22, 2025, at 10:00 AM, if necessary. The public test will be conducted at the Mills County Annex, in the basement.

PROVISIONAL BALLOT BOARD: 

The Provisional Ballot Board will meet at 8:30 AM on Friday, September 4, 2026, to decide on any voter’s Provisional Ballot that was cast on Election Day.

POST-ELECTION AUDIT: 

A hand count audit will be conducted of a voting precinct, randomly selected by the Iowa Secretary of State Office, at 9:00 AM on Friday, September 4, 2026 in the Mills County Board Room. The purpose of the Post-Election Audit is to verify the results of the tabulating machine used in the election.  

DESIGNATION OF POLLING PLACES: 

The following polling place will be used for the Special Election. Voter can find their precinct and their polling place at the following link: https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterreg/pollingplace/search.aspx

Polling places are handicap accessible. Any voter who is physically unable to enter the polling place has the right to vote in the voter’s vehicle. For further information, please contact the County Auditor’s Office.

SAMPLE BALLOTS: 

Sample ballots can be found on here at the Auditor’s Office upon availability. 

LIST OF CANDIDATES: 

Candidates will be listed after the candidate filing period has ended.

EXTENDED OFFICE HOURS: 

In addition to the normal business hours of 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM, Monday – Friday, the Mills County Auditor’s Office will have extended hours on the following days:

CONTACT: 

Please contact the Mills County Auditor’s Office if you have questions regarding voter registration, absentee voting, polling locations, the public test, or other election related questions.

Amber Farnan

Mills County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections

Mills County, Iowa