(C) Iowa Capital Dispatch
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Nov. 7 is Election Day in Iowa. Here’s what you need to know to vote. [1]

['Robin Opsahl', 'More From Author', '- November']

Date: 2023-11-06

Tuesday is Election Day in Iowa for city and school board elections throughout the state.

Iowans can vote in person Tuesday in local elections — and voters who requested absentee ballots have until 8 p.m., the time polls close on Election Day, to return their ballots to be eligible.

Following the 2020 election, which former President Donald Trump falsely claims was “rigged,” there has been increased distrust in the integrity of elections throughout the country. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said in a November news release that state officials were working to ensure elections are secure in Iowa.

The Secretary of State’s office collaborates with the Iowa Departments of Public Safety, Management and Homeland Security and Emergency Management as well as the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to combat potential cyberattacks and criminal activity. Pate asked Iowans to “be leery” of election misinformation, and to trust in Iowa’s election integrity.

“In Iowa, we take a holistic approach to election integrity and security – pre-election testing, paper ballots, post-election audits, enhancing cybersecurity measures, and partnerships with our Election Security A Team make that possible,” Pate said in a statement. “The public should be reassured that we are protecting the integrity of their vote in all 99 counties.”

As of September, about 90% of eligible Iowans are registered to vote, according to the Secretary of State’s office. But eligible voters who are not registered can still participate in local elections through the state’s same-day voter registration.

Here’s what you need to know to vote Nov. 7:

Voter registration

To register to vote in Iowa, a person must be:

An Iowa resident.

A U.S. citizen.

18 years old by Election Day.

A voter cannot:

Be a convicted felon, unless their voting rights have been restored.

Be judged mentally incompetent to vote by a court.

Claim the right to vote in any other place.

Iowans who are not yet registered to vote can register when they go to the polls on Election Day. Registration requires proof of identity and proof of residence. If an Iowan does not have these documents, another registered voter from the same precinct can attest for the person registering.

Iowans can check their voter registration status on the Iowa secretary of state’s website.

Voter identification requirements

Since 2017, Iowa has required voters to show identification in order to cast their ballot in early voting and on Election Day. There are multiple forms of identification Iowans can bring with them to verify their identity, including:

Iowa driver’s license

Iowa non-operator ID

Out-of-state driver’s license or non-operator ID

U.S. passport

U.S. military or veteran ID

ID card issued by employer

Student ID issued by Iowa high school or college

Tribal ID card/document

Registered voters still must bring a form of ID to their polling location to participate. If a person does not have any of these forms of ID, they can still cast a ballot on Election Day by having another registered voter in the precinct attest for their identity. They can also bring Election Day registration documents to confirm their identity.

If a person can’t find the necessary ID or an attester, the voter can cast a provisional ballot. People who cast provisional ballots can return with a form of identification to have their vote counted up until the time of county canvass of votes, which is the Monday after the election, Nov. 13.

Sending in your ballot

Voters have until 8 p.m. on Election Day to return their absentee ballot to their county auditor’s office. Find the location of your local county auditor’s office here. That deadline is when absentee ballots must arrive at the county auditor’s office in order to count. Voters are not advised to mail an absentee ballot on Election Day. The cutoff was implemented through a 2021 law that changing Iowa’s previous practice allowing votes to count as long as they arrived before noon on the Monday following the election.

The 2021 law also changed rules on who is allowed to return a voter’s completed ballot. Ballots can be returned by mail or in person, or deposited in their county’s ballot drop box. But only the voter, a housemate or immediate family member or caregiver can send in a ballot by mail or deliver it directly to the county auditor’s office. People with disabilities can designate someone else to return their ballot for them, but must follow instructions included with their mailed ballot.

Iowans can check the status of their absentee ballot on the Iowa Secretary of State’s website.

Did you request an absentee ballot, but plan to vote in person?

Voters who requested and received an absentee ballot but did not return it before Election Day have two options. They can return the completed absentee ballot to their local county auditor’s office by 8 p.m. Tuesday. Keep in mind: Voted absentee ballots cannot be returned to a polling location on Election Day.

Voters also still have the option to vote at a polling location on Election Day, provided they have not already voted absentee. A voter can surrender their absentee ballot at the polls and vote via a regular ballot on Election Day. If the person can’t surrender their absentee ballot, such as in cases where they have misplaced the absentee ballot, they can cast a provisional ballot at the polling site.

Was my absentee ballot counted?

Voters who have already returned their absentee ballot can check on the Secretary of State’s website at sos.iowa.gov/elections/AbsenteeBallotStatus to see if their ballot has been processed. The website requires the voter to enter their full name and date of birth to see their ballot status.

Voting on Election Day

Those planning to cast their ballot on Election Day should know that voting locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 7.

Polling places are determined by a person’s home address, and some polling locations may have changed. Find your polling location on the secretary of state’s website.

Accessibility at voting locations

Assistance is available for people with disabilities at voting locations. Inside each polling location, voters can ask for assistance in reading and marking a ballot. Two precinct election officials, one from each political party, may assist a person with their ballot, but a voter is allowed to request others to help them as well, barring their employer, employer’s agent or an agent of their union. If someone other than a precinct election official provides assistance, that helper must sign the Affidavit of Voter Requesting Assistance.

Additionally, each location has a voter assist terminal — machines with a touch screen, audio component, and sip and puff elements — which can be used to select candidates. The device marks a voter’s ballot according to their selections, and is available to any voter.

If someone isn’t able to physically enter their polling location to vote because of a disability, precinct election officials from each party will take a ballot and election supplies out to a person’s vehicle, where they can fill out their ballot. People who are unable to leave their vehicle to vote must sign the Affidavit of Voter Requesting Assistance.

No advance notice is necessary for curbside voting, but the Iowa Secretary of State’s office recommends people who plan to vote in their cars to call ahead to their local county auditor’s office, or to bring another person with them so officials can assist them quickly.

Who’s on the ballot?

Iowans will weigh in on city and school board elections in the 2023 election. Ballots will be specific to each voter’s city and county.

Many Iowa county auditors have sample ballots available to view online. Iowans can find their local county auditor using the Iowa Secretary of State website and use their polling location to find the precinct-specific sample ballots and relevant information.

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[1] Url: https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/11/06/nov-7-is-election-day-in-iowa-heres-what-you-need-to-know-to-vote/

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