Why an Iowa woman's final vote won't count

Catch up quick: Myers, the former executive director of the Iowa Nurses Association, voted with her son Oct. 16, just two days after early voting began.

• The two then shared lunch at her assisted living facility and spent time together before Bruce left around 1pm.

• About three hours later, the facility called Bruce to report his mother had stopped breathing. She died five days before her 91st birthday.

The catch: Despite casting her ballot legally, Myers' vote won't count under an Iowa law that requires it to be rejected if election officials receive proof of a voter's death before opening the ballot envelope.

• Election officials regularly check state and federal death records, and published obituaries are sufficient proof, Iowa Secretary of State spokesperson Ashley Esquivel Hunt tells Axios.

Flashback: Myers was also the driving force behind Myers Park, a new Sherman Hill playground named in honor of her family's philanthropy, Bruce tells Axios.

State of play: Bruce supports sharing his mother's story, hoping it will inspire others.

The big picture: Iowa is among 12 states that explicitly prohibit counting absentee ballots cast by voters who die before Election Day, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

What's next: Myers' ballot will be set aside and sent to a special precinct election board, along with evidence of her death, for formal rejection, Esquivel Hunt tells Axios.

The bottom line: "She was so proud to have voted that morning, and I guess if there is a hidden message in this horrible experience, it's 'Vote if it's the last thing you do,'" Bruce said.