The Franklin County Auditor’s Office is partnering with the Hampton Public Library to host a voter registration drive Monday.
The event coincides with National Library Week, highlighting the library’s role as a community resource beyond books. Library Director Suzy Knipfel says the partnership is a natural fit during the weeklong celebration.
“One thing we libraries love to do is partner with other people in the community,” Knipfel says. “You know, it just shows the library is a big community space and we love to partner. So I think this is first time we have partnered with the Auditor’s Office. So maybe we’ll do it again.”
The drive is part of a countywide approach this month, with events already held at libraries in Alexander, Sheffield and Coulter.
It’s also part of a statewide initiative through the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office tied to America’s 250th celebration.
Franklin County Auditor Katy Flint says the effort is designed to make voter registration more accessible.
“The secretary of state’s office has been pushing the auditors and commissioner of elections to conduct voter registration drives,” Flint says. “So when we got that information, I was trying to think about a great place to hold a voter registration drive in our community. And I first reached out to Suzy here at the Hampton Library and she was on board right away. And so then that spurred me to reach out to the other libraries here in Franklin County. So that’s why we’ve been offering it in all the communities that have libraries. It is a midterm election and we typically see lower voter turnout, but we do have several races. The primary will be June 2nd… Iowa primaries are closed, so you do need to be registered as either part of the Republican or Democrat party. And you know, this is a great time to do that.”
Residents will be able to register to vote or update their information during the event with assistance from the Auditor’s Office. The voter registration drive is Monday, April 20 from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. and again from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
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