Registration Deadlines and Election Dates

Voter Pre-Registration Deadline: 15 days before Election Day.

Eligible voters can also register to vote and cast a ballot at the same time at their assigned voting or caucus location. Election Day registration information is available at: https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterinformation/edr.html.

Official Election Websites

• More election information at: https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterinformation

• Online voter registration available at: https://mymvd.iowadot.gov/Account/Login?ReturnUrl=%2fVoterRegistration

• Main-in voter registration form available at: https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/pdf/voteapp.pdf

Register at School or Home

Students have a decision about where to register to vote.

You have a right to register to vote at the address you consider the place where you live, whether that is your family's home or the place where you attend school. You should update your registration anytime this home address changes.

You may only be registered and vote in one location.

What Type of ID Do I Need to Register?

If you are registering to vote online, you must provide your Iowa driver's license number or Iowa ID card number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number.

Iowa’s paper voter registration form asks you for your Iowa driver’s license number, Iowa ID card number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. Be sure to provide one of these numbers if you have it.

If you are registering to vote at the polls on Election Day, you must produce a photo ID that is current, valid, and contains an expiration date, such as:

• Iowa driver’s license, non-driver state ID card, or Iowa Voter ID card

• Out-of-state driver’s license or state ID card

• U.S. passport

• U.S. military ID

• ID card issued by your employer

• Student ID issued by Iowa high school or college

• Tribal ID

If your photo ID does not contain your current address, you must supplement your photo ID with acceptable proof of residence that contains your name and current address that was issued within 45 days of Election Day, including but not limited to:

• Residential lease

• Utility bill (including cell phone bill)

• Bank statement

• Paycheck

• Government check or other government document

• Property tax statement

If you do not have any of these IDs or documents, a registered voter from your precinct may attest that you are who you say you are and that you live in the precinct. This requires both you and the registered voter to sign an oath swearing that your statements are true.

What Type of ID Do I Need to Vote?

You are required to show ID before voting in Iowa. 

Accepted voter IDs include the following:

• Iowa driver’s license or non-driver state ID card

• Iowa Voter ID card

• U.S. passport

• U.S. military ID

• Veteran Health Identification Card issued by U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

• Tribal ID 

Voters without one of these forms of ID may vote using the proofs of identity and residence needed to register to vote on Election Day or use an attestor. See above for more information.

Where Do I Vote?

Make a plan. Look up your voting site and hours at: https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterreg/pollingplace/search.aspx

How Can I Vote?

By Mail

• Any registered voter may vote by mail in Iowa

• Applications must be received by your county auditor’s office by no later than 5 p.m. on the 15th day before Election Day

• Complete mail-in ballots may be returned in-person at your county auditor's office or by mail. Completed mail-in ballots must be received by your county auditor’s office by the close of polls on Election Day. They cannot be returned to a polling place on Election Day.

• Learn more about voting by mail at https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/electioninfo/absenteemail.html

• Track your absentee ballot at https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/absenteeballotstatus/absentee/search

Early In-person

Early in-person voting begins no more than 29 days before an election at your county auditor’s office. Check with your county auditor’s office for information about locations and times.

Election Day

Election voting sites will be open from 7:00 am until 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. If you are in line by the closing time then you have the right to vote.

Voters with disabilities may vote curbside. For more information, visit: https://sos.iowa.gov/disabilities.html

For primary and general elections, voting sites will  be open from 7:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. on Election Day. For City/school elections voting sites will be open from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. For special elections, please contact your county auditor for more information. For any election, if you are in line by the  closing time, you must be allowed to vote.

Election Day registrants will be able to cast regular ballots, unless they are voting in a location that does not have electronic poll books. Election Day registrants in voting locations without electronic poll books will cast a provisional ballot that will count as long as their name does not appear in a felon database. No action is needed on the part of the voter to make these ballots count. Most Iowa precincts have electronic poll books.

Common Questions/Concerns

Registering to Vote Does Not Affect Your:

Federal Financial Aid

Where you register to vote will not affect federal financial aid such as Pell Grants, Perkins or Stafford loans, or your dependency status for FAFSA.

Status as a Dependent on Your Parents’ Taxes

Being registered to vote at a different address from your parents does not prevent them from claiming you as a dependent on their taxes.

Tuition Status

Being deemed out-of-state for tuition purposes does not prevent you from choosing to register to vote in your campus community.

Will registering to vote in Iowa affect my driver’s license or car registration?

As a full time student in Iowa, you may be required to obtain an Iowa driver's license and update your car's registration, regardless of whether you register to vote there. For more information, contact the Iowa Motor Vehicle Division.