Labor Day is traditionally when voters start paying closer attention to the general election campaign. So it’s a good time to run through what Iowa voters need to do to make their voices heard, whether they plan to vote early or on Tuesday, November 5.
VOTING EARLY BY MAIL
I’m a strong advocate for voting early. You never know when some family emergency, illness, or work obligation might prevent you from getting to the polls on election day. If you’ve banked your vote ahead of time, last-minute problems won’t keep you from casting a ballot.
Voting early can also reduce unsolicited phone calls or knocks at the door as the election approaches. Once you’ve turned in your ballot, there’s no reason for campaigns or political action committees to target you for GOTV.
Who should vote by mail?
I’ve been more cautious about recommending that Iowans vote by mail since 2021, when Republicans created many new barriers to the process. Iowans have less time to receive a ballot, since auditors can’t begin mailing them until 20 days before the election (October 16 this year). Voters have less time to return their ballot, because regardless of any postmark, ballots must arrive at county auditors’ offices by 8:00 pm on election day in order to be counted. Republicans also banned volunteers or friends from hand-delivering completed absentee ballots for those who are worried the U.S. Postal Service might not get it there on time.
However, voting by mail is still a good option for anyone who will be out of state from mid-October through November 5 (for instance, college students or snowbirds). It’s also useful for voters who don’t drive, can’t easily leave their homes due to disability or lack of transportation, or aren’t sure whether they will take the time to vote on election day.
Iowa Starting Line’s Pat Rynard examined the 2022 data closely and found that “fears of massive disenfranchisement of absentee voters did not materialize,” and “voting by mail efforts remain one of the most effective ways to boost turnout.”
How to vote by mail
Iowans can submit absentee ballot request forms beginning 70 days before the election, which was August 27 this year. If you plan to vote by mail, get your absentee ballot request form to your county auditor as soon as possible. Unfortunately, you can’t submit these forms via email. You must fill out a printed form and mail it or hand-deliver it to the county elections office.
You can easily download an absentee ballot request form on the Iowa Secretary of State’s website, or get one from a campaign or local political party committee. (Democratic volunteers in Polk County have been distributing blank absentee ballot request forms to many voters, with the required fields highlighted.)
Voters don’t have to use this form; they could send in any piece of paper containing all the required information. But it’s simpler to use the standard form.
Note that Iowa voters must include their driver’s license or non-operator ID number on absentee ballot request forms. If you don’t have either of those, you can use your four-digit voter PIN. Assuming you don’t know your PIN—most people don’t—you can ask your county elections office for that number. Do not use the last four digits of your Social Security number. That’s not valid on this form, and elections staff are not allowed to correct the number for you.
For election date or type, mark “general” and put 11/05/2024 as the date.
You won’t receive your ballot in the mail until sometime after October 16. Once it arrives, don’t delay: fill it out and put it in the mail as soon as possible, or hand-deliver it to your county auditor’s office. (Many have a drop box located outside.)
After mailing, you can track your absentee ballot on the Secretary of State’s website to see whether it reached your county auditor’s office. Remember, to be counted, the ballot must arrive by 8:00 pm on November 5.
VOTING EARLY IN PERSON
All 99 county auditors’ offices will offer early in-person voting beginning on Wednesday, October 16 (that’s 20 days before the election). Those offices will be open for early voting during business hours every weekday through Monday, November 4.
Some county auditors will also provide Saturday voting hours, or satellite locations like public libraries and community centers, where voters can request and fill out an absentee ballot on the spot. Before early voting begins, you can check with your county auditor about where and when alternate voting locations will be open.
I encourage Iowans to find a way to vote in person between October 16 and November 4. (I usually stop by the auditor’s office on a day when I have another errand in downtown Des Moines.) Even if you are not mobile, perhaps there is someone who occasionally takes you to the grocery story or doctor’s appointments. Schedule a day for that person to pick you up and take you to the county elections office or a satellite voting location. You won’t have to worry about mail delivery; you can be sure your ballot will be countied.
County auditor’s offices have accessible ballot marking devices for those who need help to fill out their ballots.
Important note: you will need to put your driver’s license or non-operator ID number on the request form when voting early in person, so bring that ID with you. If you don’t have either of those forms of ID, you will need to ask staff in the county elections office to look up your voter PIN.
Also worth remembering: when you vote early in person, you cannot bring your ballot home to study and fill out later. You must fill out your ballot and submit it right there in the auditor’s office or satellite location. So research the races in your area (including any county-level offices) ahead of time.
VOTING ON ELECTION DAY
Polls will be open across Iowa from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm on Tuesday, November 5. It’s rare to encounter long lines at Iowa precincts, even during the busiest times before and after work.
If you are already registered to vote and haven’t moved since the last time you voted, you only need to bring some valid form of ID. The Secretary of State’s website lists the options:
- Iowa Driver’s License (not expired more than 90 days)
- Iowa Non-Operator ID (not expired more than 90 days)
- U.S. Passport (not expired)
- U.S. Military ID or Veteran ID (not expired)
- Iowa Voter Identification Card (must be signed)
- Tribal ID Card/Document (must be signed, with photo, not expired)
What if you haven’t registered to vote in Iowa before, or have moved to a different precinct or county since the last time you voted here? The process will go more quickly if you register or update your registration by October 21, which is the “pre-registration” deadline. That way, your name and current address will appear in the book election workers are using at your precinct on November 5.
Iowans who register after October 21, including those who register on election day, can still cast a ballot. But they need to bring some proof of address as well as ID. Your driver’s license can serve as proof of address if it shows where you currently live. Other options:
- Residential lease
- Utility bill (including a cell phone bill)
- Bank statement
- Paycheck
- Government check or other government document
- Property tax statement
The Secretary of State’s office adds, “If you cannot prove who you are and where you live with the documents listed above, a registered voter from your precinct may attest for you. Both you and the attester will be required to sign an oath swearing the statements being made are true.”
Top image was first published on the Linn County Elections office Facebook page on June 4, 2024.