Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.

Republican Party primaries in Iowa, 2022

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge-smaller use.png

U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Governor • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Supreme court • Appellate courts • State ballot measures • How to run for office
Flag of Iowa.png


2024
2020

Republican Party primaries, 2022

Iowa Republican Party.jpg

Primary Date
June 7, 2022

Federal elections
Republican primaries for U.S. House

State party
Republican Party of Iowa
State political party revenue

This page focuses on the Republican primaries that took place in Iowa on June 7, 2022.

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Iowa, state law provides for a closed primary where every voter must be affiliated with a party in order to participate in its primary. However, a voter can change his or her political party affiliation on Election Day, creating what is effectively an open primary.[1]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Federal elections

U.S. Senate

See also: United States Senate election in Iowa, 2022 (June 7 Republican primary)

The 2022 U.S. Senate elections in Iowa took place on November 8, 2022. Voters elected one candidate to serve in the U.S. Senate.

Republican Party Republican primary candidates


Did not make the ballot:

U.S. House

See also: United States House elections in Iowa, 2022 (June 7 Republican primaries)
The 2022 U.S. House of Representatives elections in Iowa took place on November 8, 2022. Voters elected four candidates to serve in the U.S. House, one from each of the state's four congressional districts. To see a full list of candidates in the primary in each district, click "Show more" below.
Show more

District 1

Republican Party Republican primary candidates


Did not make the ballot:
Candidate Connection = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

District 2

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

District 3

Republican Party Republican primary candidates


Did not make the ballot:
Candidate Connection = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

District 4

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

State elections

State Senate

See also: Iowa State Senate elections, 2022
The Iowa State Senate was one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2022. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. In 2020, 86 out of 99 legislative chambers held elections. To see a full list of state Senate candidates in the Republican primaries, click "Show more" below.
Show more

Iowa State Senate elections, 2022

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
District 1

Green check mark transparent.pngJackie Smith (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngRocky De Witt

District 3

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngK. Lynn Evans
Anthony LaBruna  Candidate Connection

District 4

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngTim Kraayenbrink (i)

District 5

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngDave Rowley (i)
David Dow  Candidate Connection

District 6

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngJason Schultz (i)

District 7

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngKevin Alons

District 9

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngTom Shipley (i)

District 11

Green check mark transparent.pngLisa Fleishman

Green check mark transparent.pngJulian B. Garrett (i)

District 13

Green check mark transparent.pngMatt Greiner

Green check mark transparent.pngCherielynn Westrich

District 14

Green check mark transparent.pngSarah Trone Garriott (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngJake Chapman (i)

District 15

Green check mark transparent.pngTony Bisignano (i)

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 16

Green check mark transparent.pngClaire Celsi (i)

Shad Clayton
Green check mark transparent.pngBrad Price

District 17

Green check mark transparent.pngIzaah Knox  Candidate Connection
Grace Van Cleave

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 19

Green check mark transparent.pngTyler Stewart

Green check mark transparent.pngKen Rozenboom (i)

Did not make the ballot:
Jon Thorup 

District 21

Green check mark transparent.pngTodd Brady  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngMike Bousselot

District 23

Green check mark transparent.pngMatt Pries  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngJack Whitver (i)

District 25

Green check mark transparent.pngHerman Quirmbach (i)

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 27

Green check mark transparent.pngSam Cox  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngAnnette Sweeney (i)

District 29

Green check mark transparent.pngJenn Wolff (Write-in)

Green check mark transparent.pngSandy Salmon

District 30

Green check mark transparent.pngWhitney Mixdorf  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngWaylon Brown (i)

District 31

Green check mark transparent.pngWilliam Dotzler (i)

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 33

Green check mark transparent.pngMatt Robinson  Candidate Connection

Did not make the ballot:
Sami Scheetz 
Breanna Oxley 

Green check mark transparent.pngCarrie Koelker (i)

District 35

Green check mark transparent.pngJoe Brown  (unofficially withdrew)

Green check mark transparent.pngChris Cournoyer (i)

District 37

Green check mark transparent.pngMolly Donahue
Austin Frerick

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 39

Green check mark transparent.pngLiz Bennett
Joseph Zahorik

Green check mark transparent.pngBernie Hayes

District 40

Green check mark transparent.pngTodd Taylor (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngKris Gulick

District 41

Nikole Tutton
Green check mark transparent.pngDeb VanderGaast  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngKerry Gruenhagen
Alan Weets

District 42

Green check mark transparent.pngJessica Wiskus  Candidate Connection

Did not make the ballot:
Bruce Gardner 

Green check mark transparent.pngCharlie McClintock
Colman Silbernagel
Justin Wasson

District 43

Green check mark transparent.pngZach Wahls (i)

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 44

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngAdrian Dickey (i)

District 45

John Raley  Candidate Connection
Green check mark transparent.pngJanice Weiner  Candidate Connection

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 46

Green check mark transparent.pngKevin Kinney (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngDawn Driscoll (i)

District 47

Green check mark transparent.pngMary Kathleen Figaro  Candidate Connection

Barry Long
Green check mark transparent.pngScott Webster

District 49

Green check mark transparent.pngCindy Winckler

No candidates filed for the Republican primary



House of Representatives

See also: Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2022
The Iowa House of Representatives was one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2022. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. In 2020, 86 out of 99 legislative chambers held elections. To see a full list of state House candidates in the Republican primaries, click "Show more" below.
Show more

Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2022

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
District 1

Green check mark transparent.pngJ.D. Scholten

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 2

Green check mark transparent.pngSteve Hansen (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngRobert Henderson

District 3

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngThomas Jeneary (i)

District 4

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngSkyler Wheeler (i)
Kendal Zylstra  Candidate Connection

District 5

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Dennis Bush (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngZach Dieken
Thomas Kuiper

District 6

Green check mark transparent.pngJames Eliason

Green check mark transparent.pngMegan Jones (i)

District 7

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngMike Sexton (i)

District 8

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngAnn Meyer (i)

District 9

Green check mark transparent.pngJoseph Tillman  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngHenry Stone (i)

District 10

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Wills (i)  Candidate Connection

District 11

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngBrian Best (i)

District 12

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngSteven Holt (i)

District 13

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngKen Carlson
Mark Peters

District 14

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngJacob Bossman (i)

District 15

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngMatt Windschitl (i)
Rebecca Wilkerson

District 16

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Sieck (i)

District 17

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Paul Dykstra
Green check mark transparent.pngDevon Wood

District 18

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngTom Moore (i)

District 19

Green check mark transparent.pngElizabeth Christensen  Candidate Connection
Vergarie Sanford

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


Did not make the ballot:
Brent Siegrist (i)

District 20

Green check mark transparent.pngJosh Turek

Green check mark transparent.pngSarah Abdouch  Candidate Connection
Thomas Riley

District 21

Green check mark transparent.pngJoseph Kerner  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngBrooke Boden (i)

District 22

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngStan Gustafson (i)

District 23

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngRay Sorensen (i)

District 24

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngJoel Fry (i)

District 25

Green check mark transparent.pngDiana Swartz

Corwin Williams
Green check mark transparent.pngHans Wilz

District 26

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Mark Chelgren
Green check mark transparent.pngAustin Harris

Did not make the ballot:
Jason T. Summers 

District 27

Green check mark transparent.pngKenan Judge (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngKristen Stiffler

District 28

Green check mark transparent.pngSonya Heitshusen  Candidate Connection
Tom Walton  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Young

District 29

Green check mark transparent.pngBrian Meyer (i)

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 30

Eddie Mauro
Green check mark transparent.pngMegan Srinivas

Green check mark transparent.pngJerry Cheevers

District 31

Michael Andreski  Candidate Connection
Green check mark transparent.pngMary Madison

Green check mark transparent.pngJustin Pearson

District 32

Green check mark transparent.pngJennifer Konfrst (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngMark Brown

District 33

Green check mark transparent.pngRuth Ann Gaines (i)

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 34

Green check mark transparent.pngAko Abdul-Samad (i)

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 35

Green check mark transparent.pngSean Bagniewski

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 36

Green check mark transparent.pngAustin Baeth  Candidate Connection
Jaylen Cavil  Candidate Connection
Gabriel De LaCerda  Candidate Connection
Chris Disbro
Shannon Henson
Jack Porter

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 37

Green check mark transparent.pngMike Overman

Jon Thorup (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngBarb Kniff McCulla

District 38

Green check mark transparent.pngErick Zehr  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngJon Dunwell (i)

District 39

Green check mark transparent.pngRick Olson (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngMark Weatherly

District 40

Green check mark transparent.pngMacKenzie Bills

Green check mark transparent.pngBill Gustoff

District 41

Green check mark transparent.pngMolly Buck

Green check mark transparent.pngMarvis Landon

District 42

Green check mark transparent.pngHeather Matson

Green check mark transparent.pngGarrett Gobble (i)

District 43

Tiara Mays-Sims  Candidate Connection
Green check mark transparent.pngSuresh Reddy  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngEddie Andrews (i)
Brett Nelson

District 44

Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Forbes (i)

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 45

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngBrian Lohse (i)

District 46

Green check mark transparent.pngBridget Carberry Montgomery

Dave Dicks
Jeremy Freeman
Dan Gehlbach  Candidate Connection
Esperance Hope Ikora
Dan Kelley  Candidate Connection

District 47

Green check mark transparent.pngGary Clayton Overla

Green check mark transparent.pngCarter Nordman (i)

District 48

Green check mark transparent.pngPenny Vossler  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngPhil Thompson (i)

District 49

Green check mark transparent.pngBeth Wessel-Kroeschell (i)

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 50

Green check mark transparent.pngRoss Wilburn (i)

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 51

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngDave Deyoe (i)

District 52

Green check mark transparent.pngSue Cahill (i)

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 53

Green check mark transparent.pngSarah Smith

Green check mark transparent.pngDean Fisher (i)
David Maxwell (i)

District 54

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngJoshua Meggers
Robert Nazario  Candidate Connection

District 55

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngShannon Latham (i)

District 56

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


James L. Nelson
Green check mark transparent.pngMark Thompson

District 57

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngPat Grassley (i)

District 58

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Sean Galleger
Green check mark transparent.pngCharley Thomson
Jim Wright

District 59

Green check mark transparent.pngSharon Steckman (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngDoug Campbell

District 60

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngJane Bloomingdale (i)
Deb Hild

District 61

Green check mark transparent.pngTimi Brown-Powers (i)

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 62

Green check mark transparent.pngJerome Amos Jr.

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 63

Green check mark transparent.pngTim Lecander  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Bergan (i)

District 64

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngAnne Osmundson (i)

District 65

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngShannon Lundgren (i)

District 66

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngSteven Bradley (i)
Lee Hein (i)

District 67

Green check mark transparent.pngTerry McGovern  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngCraig Johnson

District 68

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngChad Ingels (i)

District 69

Green check mark transparent.pngJennifer Hansen

Green check mark transparent.pngTom Determann

District 70

Green check mark transparent.pngKay Pence

Green check mark transparent.pngNorlin Mommsen (i)

District 71

Green check mark transparent.pngLindsay James (i)

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 72

Green check mark transparent.pngCharles Isenhart (i)

Gregory A. Parker
Green check mark transparent.pngJennifer Smith

District 73

Green check mark transparent.pngElizabeth Wilson

Green check mark transparent.pngSusie Weinacht

District 74

Green check mark transparent.pngEric Gjerde (i)

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 75

Green check mark transparent.pngBob Kressig (i)

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 76

Green check mark transparent.pngKate Wyatt

Tony Chavez
Green check mark transparent.pngDerek Wulf  Candidate Connection

District 77

Green check mark transparent.pngJeff Cooling

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 78

Green check mark transparent.pngSami Scheetz

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 79

Green check mark transparent.pngTracy Ehlert (i)

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 80

Green check mark transparent.pngArt Staed (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngBarrett Hubbard

District 81

Green check mark transparent.pngCraig Lynn Cooper

Sean Hanley
Green check mark transparent.pngLuana Stoltenberg

District 82

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngBobby Kaufmann (i)

District 83

Green check mark transparent.pngKris Nall  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngCindy Golding

District 84

Green check mark transparent.pngSara Yedlik  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngThomas Gerhold (i)

District 85

Green check mark transparent.pngAmy Nielsen (i)

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 86

Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Jacoby (i)

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


Did not make the ballot:
Jacob Onken 

District 87

Green check mark transparent.pngMike Heaton

Joe Mitchell (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngJeff Shipley (i)

District 88

Green check mark transparent.pngLisa Ossian

Dustin Hite (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngHelena Hayes  Candidate Connection

District 89

Tony Currin
Green check mark transparent.pngElinor Levin  Candidate Connection

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 90

Andrew Dunn  Candidate Connection
Christine Wolfe  Candidate Connection
Green check mark transparent.pngAdam Zabner  Candidate Connection

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 91

Green check mark transparent.pngElle Wyant

John George
Adam Grier
Devon Hodgeman
Skylar Limkemann
Matt McAreavy
Green check mark transparent.pngBrad Sherman

District 92

Green check mark transparent.pngTy Bopp

Green check mark transparent.pngHeather Hora
Jaron Rosien

District 93

Green check mark transparent.pngRyan Carstensen

Green check mark transparent.pngGary Mohr (i)

District 94

Green check mark transparent.pngPhyllis Thede (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngMike Vondran

District 95

No candidates filed for the Democratic primary


Green check mark transparent.pngTaylor Collins

District 96

Green check mark transparent.pngMichelle Servadio Elias

Green check mark transparent.pngMark Cisneros (i)

District 97

Green check mark transparent.pngKen Croken

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 98

Green check mark transparent.pngMonica Hosch Kurth (i)

No candidates filed for the Republican primary


District 99

Green check mark transparent.pngDennis Cohoon (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngMatthew Rinker
TJ Widbin

District 100

Green check mark transparent.pngRebecca Bowker

Green check mark transparent.pngMartin Graber (i)


State executive offices

See also: Iowa state executive official elections, 2022

Seven state executive offices were up for election in Iowa in 2022:

Governor
Lieutenant Governor
Attorney General
Secretary of State
Treasurer
Auditor
Agriculture Commissioner

To see a full list of candidates in the Republican primaries, click "Show more" below.
Show more

Governor

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

Lieutenant Governor

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Attorney General

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

Secretary of State

Republican Party Republican primary candidates


Candidate Connection = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

Treasurer

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

Auditor

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

Agriculture Commissioner

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

Primary election competitiveness

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2022

This section contains information about the primary election competitiveness of election in Iowa. For more information about this data, click here.


U.S. Senate competitiveness

U.S. House competitiveness

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Iowa in 2022. Information below was calculated on May 20, 2022, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Ten candidates filed to run for Iowa’s four U.S. House districts, including four Democrats and six Republicans. That’s 2.5 candidates per district, less than the 4.5 candidates per district in 2020 and the four in 2018.

This was the first election to take place under new district lines following the 2020 census. Iowa was apportioned four districts, the same number it was apportioned after the 2010 census. The 10 candidates running this year were the fewest candidates running for Iowa's U.S. House seats since at least 2012, when 11 candidates filed.

All four incumbents filed to run for re-election, meaning there were no open seats this year. The Republican primary in the 3rd district was the only contested primary. That’s the fewest contested primaries since at least 2012, when three primaries were contested. There were four contested primaries each year from 2014 to 2020.

No incumbent faced a primary challenger. That’s the lowest number since 2014, when no incumbent faced a primary challenger either. One incumbent faced a primary challenger in both 2020 and 2018, and two incumbents did in 2016. Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries in all four districts, so no seats were guaranteed to either party this year.

State executive competitiveness

State legislative competitiveness

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all state legislative districts up for election in Iowa in 2022. Information below was calculated on May 20, 2022, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Forty-six state legislative districts up for election this year in Iowa were open, meaning no incumbents filed to run. That equals 33% of the 134 districts up for election in 2022 and 31% of all 150 districts in the Iowa General Assembly.

Since no incumbents were present, open districts were guaranteed to be won by newcomers to the assembly. This was the largest guaranteed influx of newcomers to the Iowa General Assembly since 2014.

The percentage of newcomers to the assembly can change throughout an election cycle. Open districts are the first indicator, but newcomers can also defeat incumbents in primary or general elections. Incumbents who filed for re-election could also withdraw from the race later in the cycle.

This year, 41 districts were open because incumbents either retired or chose to run for some other office. Five other districts were open due to redistricting moving incumbents into districts with other incumbents. This can lead to incumbent versus incumbent contests if multiple incumbents choose to run in the same district.

There were four incumbent versus incumbent contests in Iowa this year. In these races, since only one candidate can win, one incumbent was guaranteed to lose:

The total number of contested primaries—including those featuring incumbents and those in open districts—reached its highest point since 2014.

In 2022, there are 44 contested primaries—13 Democratic primaries and 31 for Republicans. For Democrats, this was up from 12 in 2020, an 8% increase. For Republicans, the number increased 94% from 13 in 2020 to 31 in 2022.

Overall, 254 major party candidates filed: 112 Democrats and 142 Republicans. That equals 1.9 candidates per district, the same as in 2020, and down from 2.0 in 2018.

Context of the 2022 elections

Iowa Party Control: 1992-2025
Four years of Democratic trifectas  •  Eleven years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Senate D D D D D R R R R R R R R S S D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R
House D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

State party overview

Republican Party of Iowa

See also: Republican Party of Iowa

State political party revenue

See also: State political party revenue and State political party revenue per capita

State political parties typically deposit revenue in separate state and federal accounts in order to comply with state and federal campaign finance laws.

The Democratic Party and the Republican Party maintain state affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and select U.S. territories. The following map displays total state political party revenue per capita for the Republican state party affiliates.


Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Iowa, state law provides for a closed primary where every voter must be affiliated with a party in order to participate in its primary. However, a voter can change his or her political party affiliation on Election Day, creating what is effectively an open primary.[2]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Poll times

In Iowa, all polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[3][4]

Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

To vote in Iowa, one must be a United States citizen, a resident of Iowa, and at least 18 years old by Election Day. A voter that is 17 years old may participate in a primary election if they will be 18 by the time of the next general election. The deadline to register is 15 days prior to the election but registration is permitted on Election Day with proof of identification.Iowans may register online or by completing a form and returning to their county auditor’s office by mail or in person.[5][6]

Automatic registration

See also: Automatic voter registration

Iowa does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Iowa has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

See also: Same-day voter registration

Iowa allows same-day voter registration.

In order to register and vote on Election Day, voters must go to the correct polling place with proof of their identity and residence (i.e. a valid Iowa driver's license or another acceptable form of photo identification and proof of residency).[7] Click here to read more about voter identification requirements.

Residency requirements

To register to vote in Iowa, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Iowa does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.[8]

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[9] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Iowa secretary of state’s office maintains a page that allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Iowa requires voters to present identification while voting. Voters who do not have a valid ID can obtain an Iowa voter ID card for free by mail.[10] According to the secretary of state's website, " Iowa Department of Transportation’s Driver’s License or Non-Operator ID files are automatically mailed an Iowa Voter Identification Card."[10][11]

Voters can present the following forms of identification:

  • Iowa voter ID card
  • Iowa driver’s license
  • Iowa non-operator ID
  • U.S. passport
  • U.S. military ID or veteran ID
  • Tribal ID card/document

Voter who do not have one of the IDs listed above may have another voter attest to their identity, or they may provide a combination of other documents to verify their identity and residence. The following additional documents are acceptable proof of identity:[6]

  • Out-of-state driver's license or non-driver ID card
  • ID card issued by employer
  • Student ID issued by Iowa high school or college
  • Another photo ID that is current, valid, and contains an expiration date

The following documents are acceptable proof of residence:[6]

  • A photo ID from one of the lists above that includes the voter's current address
  • Residential lease
  • Utility bill (including a cell phone bill)
  • Bank statement
  • Paycheck
  • Government check or other government document
  • Property tax statement

Voters without the required identification or another voter to attest to their identity will be offered a provisional ballot.[10]

Early voting

Iowa permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.

Absentee voting

All voters are eligible to vote absentee/by-mail in Iowa. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee. To vote absentee/by-mail, a request application must be received by the county auditor between 70 days before the election and 5 p.m. on the 15th day prior to the election. Voters must include one of the following: Iowa driver's license or non-operator ID number, voter ID/verification number, or the four-digit PIN from their voter ID card. Returned absentee ballots must be received by the time polls close on Election Day in order to be counted.[12]


Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Thirty-one of 99 Iowa counties—31 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Allamakee County, Iowa 24.15% 4.17% 14.25%
Boone County, Iowa 13.69% 6.64% 7.63%
Bremer County, Iowa 13.68% 2.68% 9.31%
Buchanan County, Iowa 15.02% 13.87% 18.48%
Cedar County, Iowa 17.78% 4.59% 9.64%
Cerro Gordo County, Iowa 7.66% 13.38% 20.83%
Chickasaw County, Iowa 22.94% 11.07% 20.74%
Clarke County, Iowa 28.02% 1.47% 2.25%
Clayton County, Iowa 22.78% 7.03% 17.17%
Clinton County, Iowa 5.12% 22.84% 23.03%
Des Moines County, Iowa 6.89% 18.41% 23.04%
Dubuque County, Iowa 1.23% 14.71% 20.77%
Fayette County, Iowa 19.36% 11.96% 16.60%
Floyd County, Iowa 14.84% 14.63% 21.88%
Howard County, Iowa 20.49% 20.95% 25.78%
Jackson County, Iowa 19.27% 16.89% 24.39%
Jasper County, Iowa 18.13% 7.07% 7.50%
Jefferson County, Iowa 0.47% 15.97% 20.23%
Jones County, Iowa 19.08% 7.78% 10.40%
Lee County, Iowa 16.02% 15.49% 16.01%
Louisa County, Iowa 28.37% 0.64% 4.25%
Marshall County, Iowa 8.31% 9.36% 9.35%
Mitchell County, Iowa 24.04% 3.37% 12.31%
Muscatine County, Iowa 6.26% 15.88% 15.64%
Poweshiek County, Iowa 6.53% 9.35% 11.75%
Tama County, Iowa 20.28% 7.43% 12.19%
Union County, Iowa 27.49% 3.86% 3.70%
Wapello County, Iowa 20.60% 11.88% 13.53%
Webster County, Iowa 21.52% 5.84% 8.51%
Winneshiek County, Iowa 0.79% 14.74% 22.65%
Worth County, Iowa 21.68% 14.53% 22.42%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Iowa with 51.1 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 41.7 percent. In presidential elections between 1848 and 2016, Iowa voted Republican 69.76 percent of the time and Democratic 30.23 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Iowa voted Democratic three times and Republican the other two times.[13]

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Iowa. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[14][15]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 61 out of 100 state House districts in Iowa with an average margin of victory of 19.1 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 35 out of 100 state House districts in Iowa with an average margin of victory of 18.8 points. Clinton won four districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 39 out of 100 state House districts in Iowa with an average margin of victory of 13.3 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 65 out of 100 state House districts in Iowa with an average margin of victory of 24.5 points. Trump won 10 districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.


See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. Iowa Secretary of State Website, "Voter Registration FAQ," accessed July 21, 2025
  2. Iowa Secretary of State Website, "Voter Registration FAQ," accessed July 21, 2025
  3. Iowa Secretary of State, "Find Your Polling Place," accessed July 21, 2025
  4. The Iowa Legislature, "I.C.A. § 49.74," accessed July 21, 2025
  5. Iowa Secretary of State, "Voter Registration," accessed July 21, 2025
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Iowa Secretary of State, "Election Day Registration," accessed July 21, 2025
  7. Iowa Secretary of State, "Election Day Registration," accessed July 21, 2025
  8. Iowa Secretary of State, "State of Iowa Official Voter Registration Form," accessed July 21, 2025
  9. Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 Iowa Secretary of State, "Voter ID FAQ," accessed July 21, 2025
  11. Iowa Secretary of State, "Iowa Voter Identification Requirements," accessed July 21, 2025
  12. Iowa Secretary of State, "Absentee Voting," accessed July 21, 2025
  13. 270towin.com, "Iowa," accessed June 1, 2017
  14. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  15. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017