WINTERSET, Iowa – A Special Election for the Auditor’s Seat is scheduled for late next month in Madison County. However, a lone resident has filed an objection to it. A small group of county leaders will now meet on Tuesday morning to discuss and vote on its validity. Meanwhile, the first candidate has declared their intent to run.
It is just the latest bump in the road for the seat, which has been marred by much controversy and confusion over the past several months.
Timeline:
–Tuesday, May 6: Elected Auditor Teri Kaczinski announced her resignation
–Monday, June 30: Tuesday, July 3: Public interviews are conducted for Auditor
–Thursday, July 3: Matthew Schwarz was appointed in a 2-1 vote by the Board of Supervisors
–Friday, July 4: Auditor Teri Kaczinski’s resignation takes effect
–Monday, July 7: Matthew Schwarz is sworn in as Auditor, an effort to collect signatures to petition for a Special Election is announced
–Wednesday, July 16: A paperwork error is brought to light: A notice of the Auditor’s appointment lacked a mandated notice of the public’s right to petition for a Special Election. Auditor Matthew Schwarz is instructed to physically leave the Auditor’s office by County Attorney Stephen Swanson after Schwarz reportedly instructed his staff to post a public notice online that stated his office was vacant due to the paperwork error.
–Thursday, July 17: A petition to hold a Special Election for the Auditor’s seat was officially filed.
–Tuesday, July 22: Winterset resident Marisa Schneider files an objection to the Special Election and makes a public comment regarding the issue. Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Heather Stancil and Attorney Swanson get into a public spat over the Auditor’s vacancy filing. The board votes 2-1 to re-establish Schwarz as “temporary” County Auditor and not have him re-sworn. The Board approves a petition for the Special Election, and a date is set.
Objection:
“I have no problem with the actual signatures or those that signed the petition. I respect their
right to do so,” wrote Schneider in her filing contesting the petition, which WHO 13 obtained from the county. “My objection is based on the fact that the petition submitted July 17, 2025, were collected while the office of Auditor was vacant and prior to the appointment to fill that vacancy.”
Schneider pointed to lowa Code, which designates that citizens have 14 days after an appointment to collect and file signatures. Section 69.14A{2}”b” states, a signature shall not be
considered valid if the signature is dated prior to the date on which the appointment was
made.
“Therefore, signatures gathered before the appointment are not valid, and the petition should be considered untimely and legally insufficient,” Schneider argued. “I respectfully request that this objection be reviewed in accordance with lowa Code, and that the petition be declared invalid.”
However, County Attorney Stephen Swanson previsouly told WHO 13, and the Board in a public meeting, that he had checked with the Secretary of State’s Office after the paperwork error came to light, and since the signatures had been collected in “good faith” based off the public understanding that the Auditor had been appointed and sworn in, the permitted date for collecting signtures would be allowed to be backdated to July 7, when Schwarz was sworn in.
The most recent public notice on the County’s website states the Acting County Treasurer Kylee Barber, County Attorney Swanson, and BOS Chair Stancil will meet in the Auditor’s Office on Tuesday, July 29 at 10 a.m. to discuss and vote on the validity of the objection of the submission of signatures for petition for the County Auditor’s Special Election. The meeting is open to the public.
According to the Madison County Elections Deputy, the process will be followed as outlined in Iowa Code 44.7. The County Attorney, County Treasurer, and Board Chair are required to review the objection, and a majority decision is final. If any of the three members are not able to participate, their place will be taken by another elected official.
Petition:
1,457 citizens signed the petition for a Special Election and it was filed on July 17. It was accepted at the Board of Supervisors’ meeting last week.
According to a public notice that was posted on the Madison County government website, candidates can file through 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 26, with polling locations to be announced at a later date. Absentee voting will be available in the Auditor’s office and by mail.
Candidates:
Candidates for the Madison County Auditor special election on August 26th, 2025, may file their candidacy paperwork with the Auditor’s Office at any time during business hours until 5 p.m. Friday, August 1.
There are no primary elections for special partisan elections. Political parties (Republican and Democratic) must nominate candidates by county convention, and candidates who wish to appear without any affiliation must be nominated by petition, according to Madison County Elections Deputy Mikayla Simpson.
For more on the candidate filing requirements, review the below release from Elections Deputy Simpson:
No candidates had filed as of Monday afternoon, according to Elections Deputy Simpson. However, Michelle Brant, who most recently served as Board Clerk in the County Auditor’s office, announced her intent to run on Monday afternoon.
“I am running No Party because I believe that Madison County voters have had enough polarization from local politics, and that a true moderate who is fair and honest needs to be running our Auditor’s office,” she said in a news release. “As I have said time and again, I want to serve all Madison County residents and protect our county from missteps.”
Brant was one of several candidates interviewed for the position before Schwartz was appointed.
WHO 13 reached out to Temporary Auditor Schwarz on Monday afternoon to inquire if he intended to run in the Special Election. He did not immediately respond.
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