IOWA CITY

As the mid-term elections draw closer, Johnson County is now among the venues where voter registrations are being challenged.

Johnson County Auditor Julie Persons said in a statement last week that nearly 1,000 Johnson County voter registration challenges were received Aug. 11.

Election workers contacted all 921 affected voters, Persons said, and explained their rights and options under Iowa Law.

The challenges question the residences of those on the voting rolls.

Following a hearing held Sept. 1, the Johnson County Auditor’s Office concluded that 18 voters had canceled their registrations and nine voters provided documentation to resolve challenges.

Another 894 challenges remain under review until after the Nov. 3 election.

“Johnson County elections will always take voter registration challenges seriously and will follow the law and protect every voter’s rights through the process,” Persons, the former Mayor of Swisher, said in a statement. “Despite this being a very busy time for our election staff, they were able to process 921 individual challenges while continuing to prepare for November’s general election.”

Persons, the county’s Commissioner of Elections, said Johnson County also has a highly mobile population, due primarily to the University of Iowa, and many voter registrations are updated at the next election, which in this case is November.

The Auditor’s Office can be contacted at: (319) 356-6004.

Early voting begins 20 days prior to election day.

Courthouse Renovation

The next phase of the Johnson County Courthouse renovation project has been estimated at a cost of $1.21 million. Construction is expected to begin in March.

The second of four phases will include work on common areas and temporary holding cells. Remaining phases include site improvement, scheduled for 2027, and improvements on the west-side entrance, scheduled for 2028.

Upcoming work was presented to the Board of Supervisors during its Sept. 2 work session.

“By making more courtrooms available and having space on site for our judges really allows our dockets to move a lot faster, which means that people are incarcerated for less time pre-trial,” Supervisor Lisa Green-Douglass said.

AI Policy

County staff is taking an initiative to update an Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy, including reviewing the policy annually and tracking how many county staffers are using AI.

“The technology is evolving,” IT Director Bill Horning told the Board. “We will need to adjust our policy as that technology evolves.”

Horning said nearly 30 Johnson County staffers are using AI technology now in their job duties at a cost of $30 to $200 per month per user.

Board Chair Jon Green recommended that department heads track the monthly charges for AI and how many staffers are using it.

Board Action

The Board approved several proposals on repairs for the Courthouse Annex building.

The Board issued proclamations in honor of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, Recovery Month and Labor Day.

Next Meeting

The next formal session is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Sept. 10. This is the monthly evening session that will include rezoning and platting applications, and public hearings.