IA Primary: mail-in voting during a pandemic

Voter turnout might actually be on the rise.

Wait in the seating area./// president trump is criticizing states like michigan and nevada for loosening rules when it comes to voting by mail.

But with the specter of coronavirus looming over the primaries, many people are probably considering the option as a safer way to vote this time around.

Kimt news 3's nick kruszalnicki joins us live in mason city with how voting by mail is going in iowa.

Nick?

Amy?

Even before the coronavirus pandemic?

Dropping your ballot in the mailbox like this was a very convenient way pick your favorite candidate.

According to iowa secretary of state paul pate, they've seen a record number of absentee ballots turned in already this year.

He's predicting a nearly 60 percent turnout.

He does reassure voters that if you like voting in person, they have measures in place to keep you safe at the polling stations.

The iowa national guard is distributing protective equipment to elections officials all over the state.

All in all?

Secretary pate says absentee voting is we are at home, so we are kind of captive and when you received that mail right to your hoome, its pretty hard not to do it and pr?

Postage paid and everything, it's kind of convenient in a sense.

I also checked in with the cerro gordo county auditor's office if you prefer doing an absentee ballot, the deadline to both request and send in your ballot is tomorrow at five ?m.

So there's not much time left.

Live in mason city, nick kruszalnicki, thank you nick.

The primary election in iowa will take place on tuesday./// let's get a live look over ausin this evening.

A cloudy but no?to?cool day across the area today..

But we're inching closer to the weekend and want to know what to expect.

Let's turn to kimt stormteam 3 chief meteorologist chris nelson in the stormteam 3 forecast center for a look at what he's tracking./// today: partly to mostly