Eligibility Requirements
To vote in Iowa, you must be registered.
- A U.S. citizen,
- An Iowa resident, and
- At least 17 1/2 years old (must be 18 years old by election day to vote.)
You cannot:
- Be a convicted felon (unless your voting rights have been restored),
- Be judged mentally incompetent to vote by a court, or
- Claim the right to vote in any other place.
*Signed & completed voter registration forms must be delivered to your county auditor. Locate County Auditor Site
Online Voter Registration Check to if you are registered to Vote Restoring Voting Rights
Pre Register to Vote
To pre-register to vote, complete a voter registration form and return it to your county auditor’s office.
The form must be signed. If you are not physically able to sign the form, use a rubber stamp or a mark you use regularly. You may ask someone to sign your name for you as long as the person is with you when signing the form and does so at your request.
If you are a college student, you may choose to register to vote at your home address or at your college address. You cannot register to vote at both.
Your county auditor will send you a voter registration card within two weeks.
Pre-Registration Deadlines
- 10 days before general elections
- 11 days before all other elections
Election Day Registration
You may register and vote on election day. To do so, you first must go to the correct polling place for your current address on election day. If you are unsure of your polling place, Find Your Precinct/Polling Place.
At the polling place, you must prove both who you are and where you live. The best way to do this is with your valid Iowa driver’s license with your current address printed on it.
Proof of ID
If you do not have an Iowa driver’s license, you may use a photo ID that is current, valid, and contain an expiration date. The following are acceptable IDs:
- Iowa non-driver ID card
- Out-of-state driver's license or non-driver ID card
- U.S. passport
- U.S. military ID
- ID card issued by employer
- Student ID issued by Iowa high school or college
Proof of Residence
If your photo ID does not contain your current address, you may use another document to prove where you live if it contains your name and current address. The following are acceptable proofs of residence:
- Residential lease
- Utility bill (including a cell phone bill)
- Bank statement
- Paycheck
- Government check or other government document
Attester
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.
Falsely attesting or being attested for is registration fraud. It is a class “D” felony and is punishable by a fine of up to $7,500 and up to 5 years in prison.
Updating Your Voter Registration
You must update your voter registration if you:
- Change your name
- Change your address
- Change party affiliation
To update your registration, complete a new registration form and return it to your county auditor.
If you moved within the county, you may also report a change of address on election day at the polling place for the address where you live. You may be asked to show identification which shows your name and current address. Acceptable forms of identification are:
- Current and valid photo ID
- Utility bill
- Bank statement
- Paycheck
- Government check or other government document
Need to Know where to vote? Find Your Precinct/Polling Place
Need to know what to bring with you on Election day?
You are not required to produce your voter registration card to vote at the polls on election day. You are encouraged to always bring identification with you when you vote.
You may be asked to show identification if:
· You registered to vote by mail after January 1, 2003, and have never voted in a Primary or General election in your county,
· You have moved from where you are registered to vote,
· Your right to vote has been challenged, or
· The precinct election officials do not know you.
If asked to show identification, you may use a current and valid photo ID or any of the following documents if they show your name and current address:
· Current utility bill (including cell phone bill),
· Current bank statement,
· Current paycheck or government check, or
· Other current government document.
Need Information on Absentee Ballots?
Absentee Ballots are available at the Ross and Elizabeth Baty Monticello Public Library
Any registered voter in Iowa may request an absentee ballot through their county auditor.
· Download an absentee ballot request form *Signed and completed absentee ballot request forms must be delivered to your county auditor.
· Learn how to request an absentee ballot by mail
· Vote an absentee ballot in person
· Information for Military Voters
· Find information for Overseas Civilian Voters
· Find out more information on satellite absentee voting
· Know the requirements for absentee voting at health care facilities
· Find answers to frequently asked questions
Sites to Help You Check the Facts
FactCheck.org “A nonpartisan, nonprofit ‘consumer advocate’ for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics.”
PolitiFact “A fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics.”
ProCon.org “A nonprofit nonpartisan public charity that provides well-sourced pro, con, and related research on more than 50 controversial issues. ... With more than 12,000 pages of highly curated, referenced content, ProCon.org provides a platform for people to question information, evaluate opposing views, and debate them in a respectful way.”
AllSides
Learn About Your Current Elected Officials
You can find information about any current senator or representative
· his or her bills
· committee assignments.
In addition to the individuals’ info, there are scads of data on Congress itself,
· including documents that explain the legislative process (in English and Spanish)
· short videos on the legislative process (English only).
Of course, there’s the massive White House site (www.whitehouse.gov), with its seemingly endless lists of subsections that tell you everything about everything including people, issues, and how to get into a tour of the White House.