Register or check your record
Pre-register by October 19. Iowa also permits Election Day registration with proof of identity and residence. Check your record before traveling.
Official voter resources
Make your Iowa voting plan
Use Iowa's official voter services to register, find your polling place, request or track an absentee ballot, review voter identification, and confirm county-specific in-person absentee hours.
First steps
Start with these three actions
Plan in-person absentee or Election Day voting
In-person absentee voting begins October 14 at county election offices and ends November 2. On November 3, vote at your assigned polling place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT.
Request and return an absentee ballot
The county auditor must receive a mailed-ballot request by October 19 at 5 p.m. CT. The completed ballot must reach the county auditor by 8 p.m. CT on November 3.
October 19pre-registration deadline
October 14in-person absentee voting begins
October 19 at 5 p.m.mailed ballot request deadline
7 a.m. to 8 p.m.Election Day poll hours
Election timeline
First day to file an absentee ballot request
A voter may begin filing a request for a mailed absentee ballot with the county auditor.
Absentee voting begins
County auditors may begin mailing requested absentee ballots, and in-person absentee voting begins at county election offices.
Pre-registration and mailed-ballot request deadline
This is the pre-registration deadline. The county auditor also must receive a mailed absentee ballot request by 5 p.m. Election Day registration remains available with the required documents.
In-person absentee voting ends
This is the final day for ordinary in-person absentee voting at the county auditor's office.
General Election Day and absentee receipt deadline
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT. The county auditor must receive an ordinary absentee ballot by 8 p.m.; a postmark alone does not satisfy the ordinary deadline.
Check the current rule: Iowa in-person voters must show an Iowa driver's license or non-operator ID, U.S. passport, U.S. military or veteran ID, Iowa Voter Identification Card, or qualifying tribal ID. A voter without one of those documents may use an attester or Election Day registration documents under the official rules, or cast a provisional ballot. Election Day registrants must prove both identity and residence. An accepted proof of residence must show the voter's name and current address and generally be current within 45 days.
1 statewide constitutional amendment
The official September 25 election notice places one constitutional amendment before every Iowa voter. It is numbered Amendment 1 on the ballot.
- Amendment 1: Two-thirds vote requirement for certain state tax changesOfficial question: Shall the following amendment to the Constitution be adopted? The amendment would require affirmative votes from at least two-thirds of the members elected to each legislative chamber for bills that increase specified income-based or legal and special reserve tax rates or establish a new state tax of those types. It excludes taxes imposed at a local government's option, sets a one-year limit for enactment challenges, requires each covered bill to state the enactment requirements, and directs the General Assembly to implement the section.
3 statewide Court of Appeals retention questions
All Iowa voters will decide whether Court of Appeals Judges Sharon Soorholtz Greer, John M. Sandy, and Julie A. Schumacher should be retained. The official notice lists no Iowa Supreme Court justice for statewide retention in 2026. District court and district associate judge questions vary by judicial election district and are outside this statewide guide.
Read the official 2026 election noticeUse Iowa Voter Ready and your county auditor
Iowa Voter Ready provides the statewide calendar, identification list, and official links. The county auditor publishes the exact local polling place, in-person absentee hours, satellite locations, and sample ballot for each voter.
Open Iowa Voter ReadyOfficial voter links
Iowa Voter Ready 2026Official statewide dates, voting methods, poll hours, and identification list.2026 General Election voting noticeSecretary of State notice with absentee start, request, return, and in-person voting dates.Voter registrationOfficial eligibility, pre-registration, online and paper methods, and Election Day registration guidance.Absentee votingOfficial request requirements, return methods, receipt deadline, and in-person absentee rules.Voter ID FAQsOfficial accepted identification, attester, proof-of-residence, and provisional-ballot guidance.Find my polling placeOfficial polling-place lookup.Official constitutional amendment recordIowa Legislature record identifying the tax-law amendment that advanced through two General Assemblies.Judicial selection and retentionIowa Judicial Branch explanation of retention elections.Court of Appeals judgesOfficial profiles for Iowa's statewide appellate judges.
Dates checked October 1, 2026. Confirm them at the linked official source.