Voting in Iowa

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No excuse is needed to vote absentee in Iowa.

Iowa offers in-person absentee voting. No excuse is needed to vote early. Early voting begins no earlier than 29 days before the election and effectively closes the day before the election. In very special circumstances, an in-person absentee ballot may be cast on election day from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM at the county auditor’s office IF the polls open at noon -- however the likelihood of this happening is very low.

Iowa has both caucuses and primaries. Caucuses are run by political parties and are used primarily to select delegates from the local to the national level who then represent voters’ preferences in terms of presidential candidates and party issues. Primaries are run by the state, where voters cast secret ballots in order to elect officials in all races excluding presidential.

Iowa has closed caucuses. Voters must be registered with a party in order to attend that party’s caucus.

Iowa has closed primaries. Voters registered with a particular party may only vote in that party's primary. 17-year-olds can vote in the primary election if they will be 18 by the corresponding general election.

Photo ID is required to vote in Iowa. Valid forms of ID include:
- Iowa driver’s license or non-operator ID
- U.S. passport
- U.S. military ID or veteran’s ID
- Tribal ID/document
- Iowa voter ID card

Voters without above ID may provide Election Day Registration documents, which include the following forms of photo ID:
- Iowa driver’s license or non-driver ID card
- Out-of-state driver's license or non-driver ID card
- U.S. passport
- U.S. military ID
- ID card issued by employer
- Student ID issued by Iowa high school or college
- Tribal ID

If your photo ID doesn't have your current address, you must also show one of the following:
- Residential lease
- Utility bill (including a cell phone bill)
- Bank statement
- Paycheck
- Government check
- Other government document

Any registered voter who does not have a valid driver's license or non-operator's ID issued by the Iowa Department of Transportation will be issued a Voter ID Card for free, automatically, in the mail. This also applies to anyone who registers to vote in the future. Upon receipt of the Voter ID Card, it should be immediately signed.

If you go to your polling place without an approved form of ID, another registered voter in the precinct may attest to your identity. You can also register on Election Day without the required ID if another registered voter in the precinct attests to your identity. Voters without the necessary ID or an attester will be offered a provisional ballot and can provide ID up until the time of the county canvass of votes (Monday after election day for Primary and General Elections).