Johnson County Auditor Julie Persons said in a November 8 county notice that the office had finished counting 36,138 absentee ballots from the November 3 general election. That is the county’s absentee-ballot count, not a statewide turnout figure or a candidate vote total.
What the county says happened
The notice says approximately 2,000 ballots were found boxed and unopened in the secure ballot storage room during routine post-election work on November 5. The auditor’s office notified the county attorney and Iowa Secretary of State, and officials developed a plan to include the ballots in the results for the November 10 canvass. Tabulation began November 6 and ended November 8.
According to the county, counting those ballots did not change outcomes in state, federal, county or township races, the state amendment, or ballot measures. Persons said the chain of custody was not broken and that the office was updating its absentee-counting procedures. These are the auditor’s reported findings; this article does not independently audit ballot handling or establish certification.
What remains scheduled
The notice says the absentee board will reconvene Monday, November 9, to complete overseas and military ballots covered by UOCAVA and provisional ballots whose deficiencies have been cured. The county canvass is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, November 10, with streaming and recording on the county meetings page. Those are scheduled steps, not events this article claims have already occurred.
The county links its uploaded results through the official state results portal. This notice alone does not supply complete candidate totals. Iowa Decides has not used its absentee-ballot count to fill missing district figures or changed any race call or contest score. How counting and canvassing differ.
Source dates: The county published its notice November 8; Iowa Decides reviewed it November 9. The publication date of the notice, completion of the reported count and upcoming canvass are separate dates.