IA · How to vote
Voting in Iowa.
Three ways to vote, three deadlines. ID rules and vote-by-mail policy below — verify the specifics with the Iowa Secretary of State at the link.
1Official source of record
Iowa Secretary of State — Elections
VOTER ID REQUIREMENTS
Iowa requires a valid ID. Accepted: Iowa driver's license, US passport, military ID, or Iowa voter ID card (free).
VOTE BY MAIL
Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot by mail. No excuse required.
3NCSL voter ID requirements2026-04-153NCSL absentee + VBM rules2026-04-15
Official action — IA
The state’s own tools, with links to verify.
Each card below routes to the official Iowa system. Where the state delegates to county Supervisors of Elections, the card says so honestly.
Statewide→
Check my registration
Statewide→
Register / update online
IA DL/state ID required, runs through Iowa DOT. Closes 15 days pre-election.
Statewide→
Find my polling place
County
Preview my ballot
County auditor publishes; SOS aggregates the index. No per-voter lookup.
County
Request a mail ballot
State PDF; submitted to county auditor. SF 413/2021 reduced request window to 70 days pre-election; 15-day cutoff.
Statewide→
Track my mail ballot
Absentee ballot status by name + DOB. No notification subscription.
Statewide→
See who's on the ballot
Per-cycle PDFs. Filing window 2026-03-13 → 2026-03-20 for primary.
Statewide→
Statewide ballot measures
No statewide constitutional amendments certified for Nov 2026 (none completed two-session passage).
Statewide→
Live + past results
Live via Clarity Elections subdomain. Historical archive PDFs back to 1996.
Statewide→
Election calendar
Primary 2026-06-02, general 2026-11-03.
1UOCAVA · military & overseas voters
Federal deadlines for Iowa
Active-duty service members, their families, and U.S. citizens overseas have separate deadlines under UOCAVA. Sourced live from the U.S. Federal Voting Assistance Program.
2026-06-02Ballot Request — State PrimaryRequest Mail Ballot: Received by
2026-06-02Ballot Request — State PrimaryRequest Email/Online or Fax Ballot: Received by
2026-06-02Ballot Return — State PrimaryReturn by Mail: Postmarked by*
2026-06-02Ballot Return — State PrimaryReturn by Online: Received by
2026-06-02Registration — State PrimaryReceived by
2026-11-03Ballot Request — General ElectionRequest Email/Online or Fax Ballot: Received by
2026-11-03Ballot Request — General ElectionRequest Mail Ballot: Received by
2026-11-03Ballot Return — General ElectionReturn by Mail: Postmarked by*
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turnout.app/how-to-vote/ia · 2026-05-02 · NCSLOther states
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