DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI] — The Iowa Secretary of State’s office is determining whether a spelling error in the wording of a proposed constitutional amendment on Polk County ballots would create any problems in counting those votes. As early voting began Wednesday, some ballots in Polk County contained a typo in its section on the constitutional amendment related to the gubernatorial line of succession. The constitutional amendment reads:

Lieutenant governor or lieutenant governor-elect to become or act as governor or governor-elect.

If there is a temporary disability of the governor, the lieutenant governor shall act as governor until the disability is removed, or the governor dies, resigns, or is removed from office. In case of the death, resignation, or removal from office of the governor, the lieutenant governor shall become governor for the remainder of the term, which shall create a vacancy in the office of lieutenant governor. This section shall also apply, as appropriate, to the governor-elect and the lieutenant governor-elect.

On at least some Polk County ballots cast in early voting, the word “until” was misspelled as “unitl.”

The vote in this year’s 2024 general election is the final step in the state’s process of amending the constitution. The gubernatorial succession measure, as well as another proposed amendment dealing with age and citizenship requirements for voting, must be approved by a simple majority of voters to make it into the Iowa Constitution. Before these measures appeared on Iowans’ ballots, they were passed through two consecutive general assemblies as required by state law.