Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7. City offices and seats on local school boards will be on the ballot, and in some areas public measures involving bond issues and taxes will also be submitted to voters.
In Johnson County, voters in Hills, Lone Tree and West Branch will decide whether their city will add the one-cent local option sales and service tax. Residents of the College Community School District and Mid-Prairie Community School District will vote on bond issues, while those in the Clear Creek-Amana School District will vote on a special levy to fund physical plant and equipment maintenance and upgrades. Highland Community School District voters will be asked to approve or reject the district’s revenue purpose statement. The texts of all the ballot measures are available on the Johnson County Auditor’s site.
Linn County voters in the Cedar Rapids Community School District and College Community School District will vote on their district’s proposed bond issues. Ely voters will have a city bond issue on their ballots, while in Mount Vernon there will be a property tax levy to purchase fire-fighting equipment on the ballot. Voters in the Anamosa Community School District and the Marion Independent School District will decide on physical plant and equipment levies. The ballot issues can be read online.
Polk County voters will be voting on the bond issue to build a new terminal and make other upgrades at the Des Moines International Airport. There will also be school bond issues on the ballot in the North Polk Community School District, the Bondurant-Farrar Community School District and the Woodward-Granger Community School District. In the Ankeny Community School District, the Colin-Maxwell Community School District and the Urbandale Community School District, voters will decide on a physical plant and equipment levy. The texts of all these ballot measures are posted on the Polk County Auditor’s site.
But before you can vote on anything, you need to know when and where you can cast your ballot, as well as what sort of ID you need.
Q: When are polls open on Tuesday? Also, where do I vote?
A: Voting starts at 7 a.m. and ends at 8 p.m., although if you’re in line when the clock strikes 8, you will be allowed to cast a ballot. If you haven’t voted since the 2020 presidential election, take note of the 8 p.m. closing time for the polls. Voting on Election Day used to go to 9 p.m., but in 2021 Gov. Reynolds signed into law new restrictions on voting that cut both the number of days for early voting and the time polls are open on Election Day.
Anyone unsure where to vote can use the online look-up tool on the Iowa Secretary of State’s site. Just enter your zip code and street to find your precinct’s poll site. (If you’re not sure what your zip code is, the Post Office has its own online look-up tool for that.)
Don’t go to the auditor’s office. That was a site for early voting, but you cannot vote there on Election Day.
Q: What sort of ID do I need to vote?
A: The following types of ID are acceptable under the 2017 voter ID requirements Gov. Branstad signed into law in 2017.
• 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
If your ID doesn’t have your current address on it, you’ll need one of the following documents as proof of residency.
• Residential lease
• Utility bill, including a cell phone bill
• Bank statement
• Paycheck
• Government check
• Other government document
• Property tax statement
Q: Can I vote if I don’t have the right kind of ID with me?
A: Possibly. Registered voters who don’t have the right ID can cast a provisional ballot if another registered voter in that precinct, who has the right type of ID in hand, is willing to attest the ID-less voter’s identity. The voter then has until Monday, Nov. 14 to present the needed form of ID at the county auditor’s office in order to have the provisional ballot counted.
Q: I want to vote, but I’m not registered. What do I need to do?
A: Iowa has same-day registration, so any adult citizen who goes to the precinct that corresponds to their home address — and hasn’t been stripped of the right to vote by order of a judge or because they have not completed all court-imposed requirements following a felony conviction (or were convicted of an offense under Chapter 707 of Iowa Code) — can register and immediately exercise the franchise.
To register on Election Day, you’ll need one of the forms of ID listed above. If your ID does not have your current address, you’ll need one of the proofs of residency also listed above.
Q: I’ve moved since the last time I voted, but never updated my voter registration. Should I just go to my old precinct to vote?
A: No. You vote where you live. You can update your registration on Election Day at the polling place for your current residence, using the ID and/or proofs of residence listed above.
Q: Is assistance available for voters with disabilities?
A: Yes. Each precinct should have two officials — a Democrat and a Republican — designated to assist voters with special needs. If the voter prefers to have someone other than the designated officials assist, that person will have to sign an Affidavit of Voter Requesting Assistance, according to the Iowa Secretary of State.
Curbside voting is also available for those unable to easily exit their vehicles. Once alerted to a voter requesting the curbside option, the two appointed precinct officials will bring a ballot to the voter.
Anyone with questions about assistance with voting should call their county auditor’s office.
Q: I received an absentee ballot in the mail, but I’ve decided I want to vote in person on Tuesday. Can I do that?
A: Yes. Bring your absentee ballot to your polling place, explain your situation to a poll worker and hand in your absentee ballot. Then you’ll be able to vote as usual. But you must hand over your absentee ballot first, so it can be properly disposed of.
Q: I’ve filled out the absentee ballot and want to use that instead of voting in person. What do I do?
A: Well, it’s too late to mail it, but you can still deposit your completed and sealed absentee ballot at one of the drop boxes the auditors have set up. In Johnson County, the drop box is located on the south side of the Johnson County Administration Building at 913 S Dubuque St in Iowa City. In Linn County, there is a drop box at 823 3rd St SW, Cedar Rapids, near the Jean Oxley Linn County Public Service Center. The drop box in Polk County is built into the outside wall of the Polk County Auditor’s Election Office at 120 2nd Ave in Des Moines.
To be counted, absentee ballots must be in the drop boxes by the time the polls close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
