Iowa

Election Day: Polls are open from 7:00AM to 8:00PM Central Time on Election Day, or until the last person in line at 8:00PM has voted.

Absentee In-Person Voters may vote at their County Auditor’s office (or at a satellite location if any) from twenty days before (October 16, 2024) Election Day through the day before Election Day. Hours and locations can be found on the county websites. County Auditor List (iowa.gov)).

Absentee ballots by mail must be received by the County Auditor prior to when polls close at 8:00PM on Election Day.

How to find your polling place: You must vote at the polling place corresponding to your address. Visit the Iowa Secretary of State’s Precinct/Polling Place Locator to determine where you should vote.

Absentee In-Person voters can vote at their County Auditor’s office and at any satellite polling locations, if ant, that have been established, in their county. Visit the Iowa Secretary of State’s Find Your County Auditor webpage for locations and hours.

Registration Deadlines

• For registration deadlines, see How to Register below.

How to Check Your Registration: Voters can determine whether they are registered to vote at the following link: Am I Registered?.

You are eligible to vote in Iowa if you:

• Are a U.S. citizen
• Are a resident of Iowa
• at 17 years of age provided you will be 18 by the next general election.

If you relocate within the same voting precinct, you will need to show proof of residency at your new address.

You are NOT eligible to vote in Iowa if:

• You are registered to vote in another state
• You were disqualified from voting due to a court order
• You have been convicted of a felony and have not yet had your civil rights restored.

Restorative Requirements

• If you have completed a felony sentence, including any term of incarceration, parole, supervision, period of probation, or you have been pardoned, then you are immediately eligible to register to vote

Exception: This does not apply to individuals convicted of crimes found in Iowa Code Chapter 707, including homicide and related crimes. Individuals convicted of a Chapter 707 crime will need to apply to the Governor for restoration.

You may preregister to vote in Iowa

• At the age of 17

At the age of 17, you may vote in a Primary Election if you will be 18 on or by Election Day.

How to register 

Iowa residents may pre-register to vote online at Voter Registration (iowa.gov), or by completing a paper form (obtainable from their County Auditor or downloadable at voteapp.pdf) and submitting the completed form by mail or in-person to the County Auditor by the pre-registration deadline (15 days before the election).

Iowa also offers same-day registration on Election Day by appearing at the precinct in which the voter resides and completing a voter registration application and providing proof of identity and residence.

If You Want to Vote Absentee, requests may be made:

• In-Person
• By Mail

Absentee Ballots may be returned:

• In-Person
• By Mail

Absentee Voting  Applications can be obtained from the County Auditor or downloaded from the Iowa Secretary of State’s website. Applicants must provide their Iowa Driver’s License or Non-Operator ID number, or the four-digit PIN located on their Iowa Voter ID card. The completed application must be submitted to and received by the County Auditor’s office prior to the close of the office on the 15th day prior to the election

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Completed ballots may be mailed, or hand delivered to the Auditor’s Office or, if there are any, deposited in a Drop Box in the county. They may not be delivered to the voter’s polling place, but may be surrendered there and the voter can then vote a regular ballot. Ballots must be received by the close of polls on election day.

Voters can track the status of their application and their absentee ballots by visiting the Iowa Secretary of State’s Track Your Absentee Ballot website. More information regarding absentee voting can be found at the Iowa Secretary of State’s website.

Early Voting  Voters who wish to vote early may do so by absentee voting in person at the County Auditor’s office or satellite early voting site. The voter applies for, receives a ballot, marks it and returns it at the same time. Voters may not take the ballots with them. The period for early voting runs generally from 20 days prior to the election to the day before Election Day, but dates and hours may vary with the county.  For the locations and hours see county website.

Voter Registration

To register to vote in Iowa you should provide:

• Valid Iowa Driver’s License

If you do not have this form of ID, Iowa will also accept:

• Valid Student ID from State School
• Veteran’s ID
• Valid Employee ID
• Valid US Passport
• Valid Military ID
• Out of State Driver’s License or Non-driver ID
• Valid Iowa non-driver’s ID
• Valid Tribal ID

If your ID does not contain your current address, you may use the following documents to show proof of residence that is current within 45 days:

• Utility Bill, Bank Statement, Government Check, or Paycheck that Shows your current name and address
• Government Issued Document that shows your current name and address
• Lease or rent agreement

This proof can be on paper or in electronic format. Note that a mobile phone bill also counts as a utility bill.

Voting In-Person

When you vote absentee in-person, or if you vote in-person on Election Day, you are required to show valid id including:

• Valid Iowa non-driver’s ID
• Valid Iowa Voter ID Card
• Valid Iowa Driver’s License
• Veteran’s ID
• Valid Military ID
• U.S. Passport

If you don’t have acceptable id, another registered voter in your precinct can attest for you. Or you can use registration documents to prove your identification and residency. If your ID does not show your current address, you may also provide a property tax bill. You may use a provisional ballot if these options are not available to you.

Iowa voters who do not have a Driver’s License or non-Driver’s ID will be sent a Voter Identification Card from their County Auditor. Any voter may request that a Voter ID card be sent to them. A voter without one of the above listed forms of identification 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.

Voters who mail in their absentee ballot are not required to provide any additional form of identification other than that used to apply for the absentee ballot.

Voters without an ID or attester may cast a provisional ballot and provide the necessary documentation by the Monday following the election.

Voters who have moved and have not updated their voter registration should go to the polling place associated with their new address. Voters who have moved within the same county will be asked to update their registration and those who have moved to a new county will be asked to re-register (same day).

In both cases besides showing ID they will have to supply proof of residence if their ID does not show their new address.  The following documents in either paper or electronic format if they are current within 45 days would constitute proof:

• Residential lease
• Utility bill (such as a cell phone bill)
• Bank statement
• Paycheck
• Government check
• Other government document
• Property tax statement

Voting Military

Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form (“FPCA”). You may include the following ID:

• Iowa ID Card
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number

If you do not have either of these numbers you must enter in Section 6: “I do not have a Social Security Number or Iowa-issued ID number.”

Voting Overseas

U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. You may include the following ID:

• Iowa ID Card
• Last Four Digits of your Social Security Number

If you do not have either of these numbers you must enter in Section 6: “I do not have a Social Security Number or Iowa-issued ID number.”

Members serving in the military and their spouses who are outside their county and citizens residing abroad may register and vote by mail as any other voter. But they may also take advantage of special rules when voting in federal elections.  The residence for voting purposes is the voter’s last registered address or their last address before leaving the U.S. or enlisting. This includes citizens who were not old enough to register to vote at the time they left the country. More information can be found at Iowa Secretary of State’s website. 

Registering and Requesting an Absentee Ballot:  Military and voters living abroad can register to vote and request an absentee ballot by completing a federal postcard application (FPCA), and submitting it to their County Auditor or emailing it to uocava@sos.iowa.gov. The normal preregistration deadlines do not apply.  Voters may request the ballot by mail, email or fax.   The ballot request must be received by the close of business on the day before the election.   For the general election only, the voter’s spouse, parent, parent-in-law, adult child or sibling, provided they live in the voter’s County, may submit a proxy request for a ballot on behalf of the voter. More information can be found at Register to Vote and Request an Absentee Ballot  Note: An absentee ballot can be requested even though it is clear that it will not arrive in time  and the Federal write-in Ballot (below) immediately voted and returned.

Returning an Absentee Ballot:  Military personnel who are outside the country and non-military citizens who are located in an area designated as an “imminent danger pay area” by the U.S. Department of Defense may return the voted ballot by mail, email or FAX.  Others must return the ballot by mail. Ballots being returned by mail must be postmarked by the day before election day and received by noon on the Monday following the election. Those returned by online/or by fax must be received by the close of polls on election day/.Ballot Not Received:  Where the requested absentee ballot has not been received in time to meet these deadlines, voters may use the Federal Write-in Absentee ballot (FWAB). This is a back-up ballot that contains no names of candidates or offices.  The voter enters the office and the person being voted for on the blank form.  It should be submitted as soon as it becomes evident that the absentee ballot may not be received in time.  If the absentee ballot is subsequently received it should be voted as well. For more information on Military and Overseas voting see the Secretary of State’s website.

Persons convicted of misdemeanors or receiving a deferred judgment for a felony do not lose their right to vote. Persons who are incarcerated for a misdemeanor or in jail awaiting trial may vote by absentee ballot.

Felony convictions result in the loss of voting rights. However, voting rights for felony convictions, other than homicide related crimes, are automatically restored upon completion of the sentence, including any period of incarceration, probation and parole. They are not required to have paid fines, court costs or restitution and may vote after re-registering. Persons convicted of homicide related felonies must apply to the Governor for restoration of their voting rights.
More information on the impact of criminal convictions on voting rights can be found on the Iowa Secretary of State’s website.