Summary
Federal & state elections on the ballot: US Senator, 4 US House members, Governor, and State Senate and House members
Ballot measures:
The Iowa Division of Elections, part of the Secretary of State, oversees all Iowa elections.
OnAir Post: Iowa Votes in 2024
News
Iowa’s second round of redistricting maps came out on Thursday, giving lawmakers one week to review the proposal before convening for a special session.
This is the second proposal from the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency. Republican lawmakers in early October voted against the LSA’s first proposal, arguing that the districts could be more compact and have more evenly balanced populations.
If legislators vote against this set of maps, the LSA will create a third and final proposal. Only after rejecting that third proposal would legislators be allowed to directly edit the maps, a process that Democrats warn could lead to gerrymandering.
But several steps and several weeks remain before that could happen. Here’s where the process stands now.
The chambers of the Iowa Senate and the Iowa House of Representatives are silent after a busy 2021 session.
Lawmakers teed up bills that addressed a wide assortment of problems, real or imagined.
They decided against an increase in tax revenues for the three state universities. They took away authority of local governments to impose face-mask requirements to combat current or future diseases. They made significant changes in the process for creating charter schools, which will operate with state tax money but will not face many requirements public K-12 schools must follow.
And they rewrote large portions of Iowa’s election laws. There are new restrictions on the use of absentee ballots. Election Day voting hours have been shortened by one hour.
But lawmakers went home without tackling a big inconsistency in how election recounts are conducted.
About
Contact
Email: Secretary of State
Locations
Elections/Voter Registration
First Floor, Lucas Building
321 E. 12th St.
Des Moines, IA 50319
Phone: 1-888-767-8683
Fax: 515-281-4682
Web Links
Registering to Vote
General Information
Who can register
To register in Iowa you must:
- be a citizen of the United States
- be a resident of Iowa
- be at least 17 years old (you must be 18 to vote)
- not have been convicted of a felony (or have had your rights restored)
- not currently be judged by a court to be “incompetent to vote”
- not claim the right to vote in more than one place
How to register
- Use our Register to Vote form below to fill out the National Voter Registration Form.
- Sign and date your form. This is very important!
- Mail or hand-deliver your completed form to the address we provide.
- Make sure you register before the voter registration deadline.
Election Day registration
If you have missed the voter registration deadline, you can still register to vote and a cast a ballot at the same time during early voting or on Election Day. Simply go to your regular polling place or early voting site to register and vote. Contact your Local Election Office if you have any questions.
Voting Rights restoration
If you have been convicted of a felony and have questions about whether you can register to vote, visit Restore Your Vote to determine your eligibility.
Registration Status (form)
New Registration (form)
Voting
General Information
Voting as a Student
Learn more from Campus Vote Project about voting for students.
Overseas and Military Voting
You are a Military or Overseas voter if you are in uniformed services, living overseas OR a spouse or dependent of a uniformed services voter. To get registered and vote, you can utilize Overseas Vote Foundation.
If you have additional questions about elections and voting overseas you can use our state specific elections official directory or contact the Overseas Vote Foundation.
Voting with Disabilities
In-person Absentee Voting is available in Iowa beginning 40 days before an election. Voting takes place in the county auditor’s office.
You may vote absentee in-person until the day before Election Day, unless polling places open at noon on Election Day. In that case, you may vote absentee in-person from 8am-11am on Election Day.
Early Voting
In-person Absentee Voting is available in Iowa beginning 40 days before an election. Voting takes place in the county auditor’s office.
You may vote absentee in-person until the day before Election Day, unless polling places open at noon on Election Day. In that case, you may vote absentee in-person from 8am-11am on Election Day.
Vote by Mail (Absentee)
Absentee ballot rules
Any registered Iowa voter may apply for an absentee ballot and vote by mail.
How to get Absentee ballot
- Use our Absentee Ballot form below to prepare your application.
- Sign and date the form. This is very important!
- Return your completed application to your Local Election Office as soon as possible. We’ll provide the mailing address for you.
- All Local Election Offices will accept mailed or hand-delivered forms. If it’s close to the deadline, call and see if your Local Election Office will let you fax or email the application.
- Make sure your application is received by the deadline. Your application must actually arrive by this time — simply being postmarked by the deadline is insufficient.
- Please contact your Local Election Office if you have any further questions about the exact process.
What to do next
- Once you receive the ballot, carefully read and follow the instructions.
- Sign and date where indicated.
- Mail your voted ballot back to the address indicated on the return envelope.
- Your voted ballot must arrive by the deadline or it will not be counted.
Absentee ballot application deadline
- In Person: 1 day before Election Day unless the polls open at noon. If the polls open at noon, you may cast an absentee ballot at the county auditor’s office from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on election day.
- By Mail: 10 days before Election Day.
Absentee ballot submission deadline
Postmarked one day before Election Day and received 6 days after Election Day.
Absentee Ballot (form)
Elections Alert (Form)
Pollling Information
Polling Place Locator
You can find your polling place by utilizing your state resource.
If you have further questions on your polling place location, please contact your county clerk.
Polling Place Hours
Polls are open from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm.
Poll Worker Information
In order to be a poll worker in Iowa, you must be:
- Registered to vote in Iowa
- At least 18 years of age
- Political affiliation required
- Entitled to compensation
- A resident of the county
- Complete required training
- High school junior and senior students may work if they meet certain statutory requirements
To sign up, contact your local board of elections.
