Voter registration forms available online

Anyone wishing to vote in Iowa’s Nov. 7 city/school election must be a U.S. citizen, an Iowa resident and 18 years old as of election day, says the Iowa Secretary of State.

Voters must also be registered.

Residents may register to vote — update a current voter registration with name, address or party affiliation changes — online by using their Iowa driver’s licenses or nonoperator ID numbers. A voter registration card will arrive from the county auditor within three weeks.

Visit sos.iowa.gov for more information.

Voters can find registration forms and absentee ballot request forms at the same website. The forms must be printed, completed and mailed to the local county auditors’ offices.

Voters may also register election day if they haven’t registered before then. To do so, a voter must go to the correct polling place and provide both proof of identity and proof of residence. The easiest proof, according to the Secretary of State, is an Iowa driver’s license with the resident’s current address on it.

Other means of proving identification are an Iowa non-operator ID, an out-of-state driver’s license or non-operator ID, a U.S. passport, a U.S. military or veteran ID, an ID card issued by an employer, a student ID issued by an Iowa high school or college or a tribal ID card or document.

If a photo ID does not contain a current address, a resident can use another document that contains the resident’s name and current address and is current within 45 days, such as a residential lease, a utility bill, a bank statement, a paycheck, a government check or a property tax statement.

If a resident has no documents to prove residence, a registered voter from the same precinct may sign an oath swearing that the statements made about residence are true. Falsely attesting or being attested for is registration fraud and is punishable by a fine of up to $10, 245 and up to five years in prison.

Felons who have completed their sentences and received restoration of their voting rights under Executive Order Number Seven, signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds in August of 2020, may vote if they are properly registered. Convicted felons who want their voting rights restored should visit RestoreYourVote.iowa.gov.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 7.