Iowa Absentee Voter Guide

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

Important Deadlines

• Voter Registration Form: Received by 5 p.m. 10 days before the election, if it is a state primary or general election; 11 days before all others. Registration forms which are postmarked 15 or more days before an election are considered on time even if received after the deadline.  You can also register in person on Election Day.
• Absentee Ballot Application: Received by 5 PM on the Friday before the election
• Voted Absentee Ballot: Postmarked by the day BEFORE the election and received by noon on the Monday after the election

How to vote by absentee ballot

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 the Iowa Voter Registration Form. Send your completed form to your County Auditor.

Verify your voter registration

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.

Make sure you're eligible to vote by absentee ballot

You may vote by absentee ballot in Iowa if you are a registered voter and you meet one of the following criteria:

• 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.

Apply for your 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.

Receive, completed and return your your absentee ballot

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to provide ID when I register to vote?

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.  If you register to vote in person on Election Day, bring a copy of your ID with you to the polls!

Do I need to provide ID when I vote by absentee ballot? 

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

Additional Information