IOWA

Election Information

Upcoming Elections

State Primary Election: 6/3/08

2008 General Election: 11/4/08

Voter Registration Information

The Lawyers’ Committee and its pro bono law firm partners have compiled comprehensive third-party voter registration guides for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  These guides will help volunteers, organizers, and leaders navigate the complex rules that govern voter registration in each state. 

Registration Deadlines

10 days before an election

Specific Deadlines:

  • State Primary Election: 5/24/08 
  • 2008 General Election: 10/25/08

Where to Obtain Registration Forms

  • Register Online Now 
  • Office of the County Auditor
  • Office of the Iowa Secretary of State: in person, by mail, or online
  • Public libraries
  • Political party offices

Absentee Voting

Absentee voting is allowed if the voter is

  • Going to be out of the precinct on Election Day
  • Ill or has a disability preventing a trip to the polling place
  • Unable to go to the polls and vote on Election Day
  • A member of the Armed Forces or a spouse or dependent of a member of the Armed forces
  • A U.S. citizen living overseas who will be at least 18 years of age before the next General Election and whose last residence prior to going overseas was in IA.

Rules and Deadlines

  • Absentee ballots can be found with the County Clerk and must be requested by at least the Friday before the election at 5 pm.
  • Overseas voters may return ballots by fax or email if they are received by the county auditor’s office by 9 p.m. on Election Day and only it is not possible for the ballot to be returned by mail so that it arrives in Iowa by noon 6 days after the election.
  • In order for the ballot to be counted, the carrier envelope must be received in the commissioner’s office before the polls close on Election Day or else be clearly postmarked by an officially authorized postal service not later than the day before the election, and received by the commissioner not later than 12 pm on the Monday following the election.

Early Voting

Yes, for all registered voters in the 40 days preceding the election at the Commissioner’s Office.

Identification Requirements

At registration:

  • Current and valid photo identification or
  • A current utility bill,
  • Bank statement,
  • Government check,
  • Paycheck
  • Other government document that shows the name and address of the elector

At polls, voters may be asked to show ID for one of the following reasons:

  • Registered after January 1, 2003 and a first-time voter in that county,
  • Inactive registration,
  • Address different from the one used to register to vote, or
  • Precinct election officials don’t know you.

Acceptable forms of ID:

  • Current and valid photo identification or
  • A current utility bill,
  • Bank statement,
  • Government check,
  • Paycheck
  • Other government document that shows the name and address of the elector

How to check registration

Check online

How to locate polling place

Check online

Information for felons

Voter is eligible to register once civil rights have been restored.


For more information, go to the Secretary of State’s website.

Recent News

April 3, 2007:Today, Iowa Gov. Chet Culver signed an Election Day Registration bill. EDR allows eligible voters who are unregistered to cast a ballot on Election Day. The bill also provides for Election Day absentee voting registration. Iowa is the eighth state in the nation to implement EDR. The others are Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Maine and Idaho.

In addition to Iowa, 21 states have considered EDR proposals during the 2006 legislative sessions. Several of those states, including Hawaii, Washington, North Carolina and Connecticut, are on the verge of adopting a version of EDR this year. Congressional lawmakers have also included a nationwide EDR provision in the Count Every Vote Act reintroduced this year.

Voters must complete a voter registration form, provide proof of residency in their precinct and show photo identification. Current law requires voters to register 10 days before primary and general elections and 11 days before other elections.

These provisions will apply to elections on or after January 1, 2008.

Read the bill here.