VOTING CENTER:
REGISTER TO VOTE:
Registering for the first time or re-registering with a new address?
Fill out the registration form online at: http://www.sos.state.ia.us/pdfs/elections/voteapp.pdf.
Please mail or walk it to your local county auditor's office 10 days prior to the primary or general election. Local county auditor's offices can be found at: http://www.sos.state.ia.us/elections/auditors/auditorslist.html.
ABSENTEE VOTING:
Request form for absentee ballots may be obtained online in a PDF format at http://www.sos.state.ia.us/pdfs/absenteeballotapp.pdf or mailed upon request from the Secretary of State’s office. Ballots are mailed to voters 40 days before Primary and General elections. Absentee ballots may be sent to voters through the U.S. Postal Service. Voters may also vote by absentee ballot in person at the county auditor’s office or at satellite absentee voting locations.
Completed forms should be returned to the county auditor in the county where the voter is registered.
IMPORTANT DATES:
Primary Election: June 8, 2010
General Election: November 2, 2010
POLLING PLACE:
For primary and general elections, polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Click here to find your local polling place.
COLLEGE STUDENTS:
As a college student, you have the option of registering to vote in your hometown or in your college town. Your decision of where to register will determine which candidates and what issues will appear on your ballot. You can only register in one location. You CANNOT register to vote in both your hometown and in your college town.
If you are an Iowa resident attending a college in Iowa that is in a different county than your hometown, you may register to vote in either:
your hometown OR
your college town.
If you are an Iowa resident attending a college outside of Iowa, you may register to vote in either:
your hometown OR
your college town (subject to the laws of the state where you are attending college).
If you are a resident of another state and are attending college in Iowa, you may register to vote in either:
your college town OR
your hometown and vote by absentee ballot (subject to the laws of your home state).
ELECTION DAY REGISTRATION:
If you were not able to pre-register to vote, you can register and vote on Election Day. To do so, you must go to the correct polling place for your current address on Election Day. To find the polling place for your current address, please visit http://www.sos.state.ia.us/elections/voterreg/pollingplace/search.aspx.
You will need to show proper identification.
To register on Election Day, you must prove both:
1. Who you are
2. Where you live
The best form of ID is a valid Iowa driver’s license with your current address printed on it. If your Iowa driver’s license does not list your current address, you must use one of the items under proof of residence to prove where you live. Do NOT register at the old address listed on your ID.
All forms of photo ID must be current, valid, and contain an expiration date.
Proof of Identity
If you do not have an Iowa’s driver license, you can provide one of the following to prove who you are:
• Iowa non-driver identification card
• Out-of-state driver's license or non-driver identification card
• U.S. passport
• U.S. military ID
• ID card issued by your employer
• Student ID issued by Iowa high school or college
Proof of identity must contain your photo and an expiration date.
If the photo ID presented does not show your current address, you may still use it to prove who you are but you must use something else to prove where you live. You may use one of the documents listed below as proof of where you live.
Proof of Residence
You can use one of the following to prove where you live:
• Residential lease
• Utility bill
• Bank statement
• Paycheck
• Government check
• Cell phone bill
• Other government document
• Proof of residence must contain your name and current address.
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.
Iowa law allows a registered voter to attest for ONE person per election. Voters who registered to vote on Election Day can attest for someone else as long as the voters were not attested for themselves.
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. Registration fraud also includes:
Registering/being registered to vote at an address where you do not live
Registering to vote when you are not eligible to do so
Registering to vote at more than one address
If you do not have proper identification and do not have anyone who can attest for you, you will still be allowed to vote a provisional ballot. You can take your proof of who you are and where you live to your county auditor’s office after Election Day.
After the election, all voters who register to vote on Election Day will be sent a notice by mail. The first notice will not be forwarded to another address. If this notice is returned as undeliverable, a second notice that is forwardable will be mailed to the voter. The voter must return the notice to the county auditor within 14 days. If the notice is not returned, the county attorney and Secretary of State’s Office will be given the voter’s information for investigation and prosecution.
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