CEDAR RAPIDS – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, the state's Commissioner of Elections, cast his ballot for the 2016 general election this morning, on the first day of Iowa's early voting period.

Pate voted at the Linn County auditor's temporary office, inside the Linn County Community Services Building. The auditor's office has moved temporarily due to flooding in the Cedar Rapids area.

"I planned to cast my vote on the first day of early voting anyway, but it's especially important to show eastern Iowans that the flooding will not get in the way of voting," Secretary Pate said. "I encourage all Iowans to make their voice heard and be a voter."

Iowa's 40-day early voting period is one of the longest in the nation. There are several different ways Iowans can vote, including in-person at their county auditor's office, through the mail by requesting an absentee ballot, at satellite voting locations, and at the polls on Election Day, November 8.

For more information, visit the Iowa Secretary of State's website, sos.iowa.gov, and click on ‘General Election 2016' on the homepage.

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