How to Vote in the Upcoming General Election

The General Election is less than a month away, so it is important to know how to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. Voting is a great way to participate in democracy, so make a plan and don’t miss out on this important opportunity!

What to Know About Voting in the General Election

Who can vote in the general election?

Voters must be Iowa residents, US citizens and at least 18 years old on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. People who have been judged by a court to be “incompetent to vote” or who claim the right to vote in more than one location cannot vote. Most Iowans with felony convictions who have completed their sentence can vote, and more information on that can be found here.

The first important step to vote is to register.

Iowans can check if they are registered to vote here. If people are not registered, those with an Iowa driver’s license or nonoperator ID number can register or update their registration online here. Voters without an Iowa license can register with a paper form and return it to their county auditor’s office. Voters must preregister by Monday, Oct. 21, 2024.

If voters don’t pre-register, they can still register to vote on Election Day at their polling place. To register on Election Day, voters will need proof of ID and proof of residence.

How can people vote in the upcoming election?

Once registered, there are multiple ways to vote including voting on Election Day, voting early by mail with an absentee ballot or voting early in person.

To vote on Election Day, voters must go to their polling place, bringing proof of identification. Types of identification include …

• Iowa Driver’s License (not expired for more than 30 days)
• Iowa Non-Operator ID (not expired for more than 30 days)
• U.S. Passport (not expired)
• US Military ID or Veteran ID (not expired)
• Signed Iowa Voter Identification Card: This is provided automatically by the county auditor to every voter without an Iowa driver’s license or non-operator ID. Voters can request a Voter ID Card through their county auditor’s office.
• Finally, a voter without any of the listed forms of ID can have their identity attested by another registered voter in their precinct.
• If voters have changed addresses, they will also need to bring proof of residency.

Then, voters will fill out and submit their ballot. Polling places will be open on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. If people need assistance while voting, they can request an accessible ballot-marking device or curbside voting.

To vote early by mail, voters must request an absentee ballot from their county auditor by 5 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. Here’s some things to not about absentee voting.

• If voting early, voters should plan for potential mail delays and send in their ballots as soon as possible.
• Ballots can take up to one week to arrive by mail, and counties will start mailing ballots on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024.
• Absentee ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
• Voters can return completed absentee ballots in the mail, in a designated drop box or they can drop it off in person at their county auditor’s office. If voters requested an absentee ballot but want to vote in person, they can surrender their absentee ballot at their polling place on Election Day and vote in person.
• If voters can’t deliver their own ballot, someone else can return the ballot if that person is in the voter’s immediate family, a member of their household or if the voter is disabled and has someone designated to return their ballot.

To track absentee ballots, click here. To find more detailed information on completing an absentee ballot, go here.

To vote early in person, voters can go to their county auditor’s office or a satellite early voting station. Early voting begins on Oct. 16, and voters can refer to their county auditor for early voting times and locations. Voters must bring an accepted form of identification to vote early.

Before voting, voters should know what’s on their ballot and research candidates. Voters can look up a sample ballot based on their address here. Voters can research candidates by finding candidate websites or using tools like Vote Smart with complied information on each candidate. Iowans will also decide on two constitutional amendments in this election.

Voting allows Iowans to influence change and advocate for the issues they care about. Make a plan to vote in the upcoming General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024!

The Partnership's Public Policy team engages with local, state and federal officials to create public policy that generates economic growth, business prosperity and talent development in Greater Des Moines (DSM). Learn about state and federal legislators advocating for the region and how you can become involved by attending events like Public Policy Issue Forums and DMDC. The Partnership is a nonpartisan organization.