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City elections in Des Moines, Iowa (2023)
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Local ballot measures • School boards • Municipal • How to run for office |
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2025 →
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| 2023 Des Moines elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: September 21, 2023 |
| General election: November 7, 2023 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: Mayor and city council |
| Total seats up: 5 (click here for mayoral elections) |
| Election type: Nonpartisan |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2023 |
The city of Des Moines, Iowa, held general elections for mayor and city council on November 7, 2023. The filing deadline for this election was September 21, 2023.
Click here to learn more about the city's mayoral election.
Ballotpedia comprehensively covers the 100 largest cities in the United States by population. Our coverage also includes mayors, city councils, and district attorneys in the 32 state capitals that are not already part of our largest cities coverage. Please note that there may have been more offices on the ballot in this capital city than what is listed on this page.
Elections
Click on the tabs below to show more information about those topics.
Candidates and results
Des Moines City Council general election, 2023 | |
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| Office | Candidates |
| at-large |
 Carl Voss (i)AJ Drew |
| Ward I |
Rob Barron Chris Coleman Kathy Hellstern Dennis McCullough RJ Miller Rose Marie Smith Kimberley Strope-Boggus |
| Ward II |
Linda Westergaard (i) Chelsea Lepley |
| Ward IV |
Joe Gatto (i) Jason Benell Justin Torres |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Iowa elections, 2023
November 7, 2023
What was at stake?
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About the city
- See also: Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is a city in Polk County, Iowa. As of 2020, its population was 214,133.
City government
- See also: Council-manager government
The city of Des Moines utilizes a council-manager system. In this form of municipal government, an elected city council—which includes the mayor and serves as the city's primary legislative body—appoints a chief executive called a city manager to oversee day-to-day municipal operations and implement the council's policy and legislative initiatives.[1]
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for Des Moines, Iowa | ||
|---|---|---|
| Des Moines | Iowa | |
| Population | 214,133 | 3,190,369 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 88 | 55,853 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 73.3% | 89.1% |
| Black/African American | 11.4% | 3.7% |
| Asian | 6.5% | 2.5% |
| Native American | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Other (single race) | N/A | 1.3% |
| Multiple | 5.3% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 14% | 6.2% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 86.7% | 92.5% |
| College graduation rate | 27.9% | 29.3% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $54,843 | $61,836 |
| Persons below poverty level | 16% | 11.1% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
See also
| Des Moines, Iowa | Iowa | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
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