On Tuesday voters will select the candidates who will be on the ballot in the November general election. Because this is a primary for offices elected on a partisan basis, only Democrats and Republicans can vote, and they can only vote for the candidates of their own party.
People registered as No Party or Libertarian can use the same-day registration to re-register as Democrats or Republicans to vote on Tuesday. Likewise, registered Democrats or Republicans can change their membership to the other party, if they are more interested in voting for the other party’s primary candidates.
Voters who change their registration for the primary can switch back to their original affiliation, or lack thereof, starting Wednesday.
Many candidates are running unopposed for their party’s nomination, but there are some notable exceptions.
In Johnson County, three seats on the Board of Supervisors will be on the ballot in November, and five candidates are seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination for the seats. Three are incumbents running to retain their seats: Lisa Green-Douglass, Royceann Porter and Rod Sullivan. The two non-incumbents are Mandi Remington, director of the Corridor Community Action Network, and Bob Conrad, a state trooper and public resource officer for the Iowa State Patrol.
Primary voters will also be selecting their party’s candidate in three of the state’s four congressional districts. Neither incumbent Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson nor Democratic challenger Sarah Corkery are facing primary opponents in Iowa’s 2nd District, which includes Linn County and northeastern Iowa, but the Republican candidates in IA-1 and IA-4 do have challengers.
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who represents the 1st District in Congress even though she lives in the 3rd, is being challenged by David Pautsch, who owns an advertising agency and runs Thy Kingdom Come Ministries, but is probably best known as the organizer of the annual Quad Cities Prayer Breakfast.
In western Iowa, 4th District Rep. Randy Feenstra is being challenged by Kevin Virgil. Virgil grew up in O’Brien County, but left Iowa to attend West Point. He retired from the army in 2000, having reached the rank of captain, and later founded a data analysis firm. He moved back to Iowa in December.
Both Pautsch and Virgil accuse the incumbents of not being true conservatives. Miller-Meeks and Feenstra are expected to win easily on Tuesday.
In Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes Polk County, two Democrats, Lanon Baccam and Melissa Vine, are running to become the candidate who challenges incumbent Republican Rep. Zach Nunn in November.
Polling places will be open for 13 hours on Tuesday. Anyone with questions about where to go, what ID they need to vote or how to register to vote on Tuesday, can find answer in the Q and A below.
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 state’s Voter ID law.
• 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: 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 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: 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 the 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 the auditor’s office before it closes on Tuesday. Because of ongoing construction on the county administration building, the Johnson County Auditor’s Office in Iowa City has temporarily moved across the street to the third floor of the county’s Health and Human Services Building (855 S Dubuque St). In Linn County, the auditor’s office is in the Jean Oxley Linn County Public Service. The Polk County Auditor’s Election Office is located at 120 2nd Ave in Des Moines.