Iowa

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State of Iowa Elections and Voting

Election Day is November 8

  • August 30                    First day to file absentee ballot request
  • October 19                  First day of absentee voting
  • October 24                  Deadline for pre-registration to vote (same day registration is allowed on Election Day at the polls)
  • October 24                  Deadline to request absentee ballot to be mailed
  • November 5                Auditors’ offices open for absentee voting
  • November 7                Deadline for in-person absentee ballots
  • November 8                Receipt deadline for absentee ballots
  • November 8                Election Day

*Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. CT. Absentee ballots must be received in your county auditor’s office prior to 8:00 PM CT on Election Day.

 

To register to vote in Iowa, you must:

  1. Must be at least 17 years old. A person may vote if they will be 18 years old on or before election day. In the case of primary elections, a person may vote if they will be 18 years old on or before the corresponding regular election
  2. Must be a United States Citizen
  3. Must be an Iowa resident
  4. Cannot be a convicted felon (unless your voting rights have been restored by the Governor, including through Executive Order, after a felony conviction)
  5. Cannot be judged mentally incompetent by a court of law
  6. Cannot claim the right to vote in any other place

* Iowans who have completed felony sentences may now be eligible to vote! Go to RestoreYourVote.Iowa.Gov for more information.

 

How to register to vote:

  • In person: You may register at the county auditor’s office. If you don’t know where that is, click here to find your county auditor.
  • Online: You may register or update your registration online if you have an Iowa driver’s license or Iowa non-operator ID.
  • By mail: You may complete the Iowa  Voter Registration Form and mail it to your county auditor.
  • Same day registration at the polls: If you are not registered to vote in the county where you live, you may go to your correct polling place and register on Election Day. You must provide acceptable proof of identity and current residence in the precinct. Proof of residence documents may be in an electronic format or on paper. If you do not have sufficient documentation, another registered voter who lives in the same precinct may attest to your identity and residence.

 

Voter ID Requirements

Precinct election officials are required to ask voters registered in the county to show one of the valid forms of identification:

A voter without one of the above forms of ID may have the voter’s identity attested to by another registered voter in the precinct or may prove identity and residence using Election Day Registration documents.

 

Absentee Voting

Any registered voter may choose to vote absentee by mail or in-person in Iowa. You must be registered to vote and complete an absentee ballot request form and return the original, signed form to your county auditor. Download an absentee ballot request form. Learn how to request an absentee ballot by mail.The request form does not need to be witnessed or notarized. After receiving your request form, the county auditor will mail you a ballot. To submit your absentee ballot, you can either mail your ballot so that it is received before 8 PM CT on Election Day, or hand deliver your ballot to your county auditor during business hours or any time up until 8 PM CST on Election Day.

 

Resources

 

Tribes in Iowa

Federally recognized tribes

  • Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa

State recognized tribes

  • None

Native Vote Coordinator(s):

Sign up to be a local Native Vote coordinator today!

Major Party Contact Information

Democrat
Chair, Andy McGuire
Native American Caucus, Jim Peterson
www.iowademocrats.org

Republican
Chairman, Jeff Kaufmann
www.iowagop.org

Posted in States.