To vote in Iowa, you must be registered to vote.
To qualify to register to vote, you must be:
- A U.S. citizen,
- An Iowa resident, and
- At least 17 years old*
*A person may vote if they will be 18 years old on or before election day. In the case of primary elections, a person may vote if they will be 18 years old on or before the corresponding regular election.
You cannot:
- Be a convicted felon (unless your voting rights have been restored),
- Be judged mentally incompetent to vote by a court, or
- Claim the right to vote in any other place.
How to Register to Vote
To pre-register to vote, complete a voter registration form and return it to your county auditor’s office.
The form must be signed. If you are not physically able to sign the form, use a rubber stamp or a mark you use regularly. You may ask someone to sign your name for you as long as the person is with you when signing the form and does so at your request.
If you are a college student, you may choose to register to vote at your home address or at your college address. You cannot register to vote at both.
Your county auditor will send you a voter registration card within two weeks.
Pre-Registration Deadlines
- 15 days before the election in which you wish to vote
General Registration
You can register to vote online by visiting the Iowa Department of Transportation website (you will need to have your driver's license or non-operator ID available)
Or you can print the paper form and mail into your County Auditor.
**14 Inch paper is required
Questions?
Visit our Elections and Voting FAQ's page to find answers to your questions!
