Excited to vote in 2022? Have questions about how to do it? Iowa Starting Line will have a running list of links to useful voting information sites on this page, as well as a few FAQs about Iowa elections.
For any specific questions, we always encourage people to reach out to your local county auditor, whose staff can help walk you through anything.
Am I Registered To Vote?
Check whether your Iowa voter registration is current here
Ways To Vote
There are basically three ways to vote in Iowa:
- At the polls on Election Day
- By an absentee ballot mailed to your home/other location
- Voting early in-person at your county auditor’s office (or sometimes at a satellite voting location if your county has one)
Most Iowa voting advocates believe voting early in-person is the best option—you do it in the county auditor’s office with experienced election workers there who can help you through any questions. Doing it early also means you have still have time/options in case something goes wrong.
Many Iowans enjoy voting by mail with an absentee ballot being mailed to your home where you can fill out your ballot at your own leisure. However, be aware that Republican legislators greatly reduced the timeframe for absentee ballots for this election. The turnaround time is much shorter now, so if you want to vote this way, make sure you request an absentee ballot well ahead of time and put it back in the mail probably at least a week before Election Day. If the mail is slow and your ballot doesn’t arrive to the county auditor by 8:00pm on Election Day, it doesn’t count.
Important 2022 Election Dates
October 19: First day of early voting
October 24: Last day to request an absentee ballot by mail
Pre-registration deadline (you can also register to vote on Election Day itself, but pre-registering to vote if you aren’t already saves you a little bit of time at the polls)
November 8: Election Day
Absentee ballots must be to the county auditor by 8:00pm to count
What Do I Need To Vote?
Iowa passed a Voter ID law several years ago. You can read the Secretary of State’s FAQ here, but here’s the basics in what qualifies as Voter ID:
- Iowa Voter Identification Card
- Iowa Driver’s License
- Iowa Non-Operator ID
- U.S. Military ID or Veteran ID
- U.S. Passport
- Tribal ID Card/Document
Key Races
All the statewide offices are on the ballot this year, including Chuck Grassley’s Senate seat (but not Joni Ernst).
Here are the candidates and their parties running:
State Legislative Districts
Iowa just went through a new round of redistricting. You will be voting in the new districts in November, though you are still technically represented by your current legislator under the old lines. So, when looking up what district you’re in, make sure you’re finding the new ones for 2022.
Find your NEW state legislative district here…
…and then see who’s running for those legislative districts here.
Lesser-Known, Important Races On Your Ballot
Did you know you can kick Iowa Supreme Court justices out of office? And that there’s an important constitutional question that would basically prevent any kind of gun safety regulations in the state?
You can read about the Supreme Court retention races here, and the constitutional question here (both will be on the back of your ballot).
Last updated: 8/22/22