Iowa Absentee Voter Guide

Military and overseas voters should check out the Overseas Vote Foundation.  Long Distance Voter's forms and deadlines should only be used by voters with US mailing addresses.

Mail-In Deadlines

General Election: November 4, 2008

Voter Registration

To register to vote in Iowa you must:

• be a citizen of the United States
• be a resident of Iowa
• be at least 17 - 1/2 years old
  (you must be 18 to vote)
• not have been convicted of a felony
  (unless your rights have been restored)
• not currently be judged "incompetent" to vote by a court
• give up your right to vote in any other place

How to register to vote:

Recommended: Use our Voter Registration Widget.  Enter your information, print and sign the completed form, and mail it to the address printed on the form.  

You can also use Iowa's voter registration form. Send your completed form to your County Auditor.

ID requirements for first-time voters:

If you're registering for the first time in Iowa and you do not have an Iowa driver's license number, or an Iowa non-driver ID card number, then you must include a copy of your ID with your voter registration form.  If you forget, you'll need to provide ID the first time you vote in person or by absentee ballot.  Acceptable forms of ID include: a COPY of a current photo ID with your name and Iowa address OR a COPY of a utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or government document which shows your name and Iowa address

Voter registration verification:

You should receive written confirmation that your voter registration was processed in 2-3 weeks.  Don't panic if you never receive your voter registration card: you don't actually need it to vote.  If you not sure if your registration was processed - or if you simply can't remember if you're register to vote - you can use the voter registration verification tools here.

Absentee Voting

Registered Iowa voters may vote by absentee ballot if:

• You expect that on election day, you will be absent from your precinct during the time period in which the polls are open or you expect that you will be unable to go to the polls on election day.
• Illness or physical disability will prevent you from going to the polls and voting on election day.

How to apply for an absentee ballot:

Download and complete the Iowa absentee ballot application.  Mail your completed form to your County Auditor's office.  

You can request an absentee ballot at anytime before the election, but your request must be received by 5 p.m. on October 31, 2008. Ballots are usually printed at least 40 day before the election. If you send in your request prior to that, that county auditor will hold your request until the ballots are ready. After that, if you do not receive your ballot within a week , check with the County Auditor's office to be sure that the request was received.

ID requirements for absentee voters:

You do not need to provide ID if you've already voted in Iowa at least once.  If you are a first-time voter and you did not include a copy of your ID when you registered to vote, you must include a copy of your ID with your absentee ballot application.  Acceptable forms of ID include: a COPY of a current photo ID with your name and Iowa address OR a COPY of a utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or government document which shows your name and Iowa address

Absentee ballot directions:

This one is pretty-straight forward.  Vote your ballot, sign where indicated, and mail the ballot back to your County Auditor's office.  Your absentee ballot must be postmarked before election day.

Secretary Of State Contact Information