Voter Registration
- Voter registration
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In order to register to vote in Johnson County, you must be:
- A U.S. citizen;
- An Iowa resident; and
- At least 17 years old. You must be 18 years old to vote in most elections. If you will be 18 years old by the date of a general election, you may vote in the preceding primary election.
- Register to vote online
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You must have a valid Iowa driver's license or non-operator ID to register online. Voters who do not have an Iowa license or ID must complete a paper form instead.
Update Your Registration Online
How to register to vote online (video) - Register by mail
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Print a voter registration form and return it by mail or in person to our office. If you can't print a form, call our office at 319-356-6004 and we will mail one to you.
Be sure to complete all required sections of the registration. If you live in an apartment, fill in the apartment number. Voter registrations sent in by paper must contain your original pen and ink signature and cannot be faxed, scanned, or e-mailed.
Registrations can be sent to:
Johnson County Auditor's Office
913 S. Dubuque St, Suite 101
Iowa City IA 52240
Paper Registration Forms (video)
- Register in person
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You can register at the Johnson County Auditor's Office during regular business hours, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday - Friday. If you have questions, we can help you at our office.
- Register on Election Day
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It is easier to vote if you register in advance. However, it is possible to register on Election Day or after the pre-registration deadline (15 days before election day) using the Election Day Registration procedure. This requires ID and proof of address.
Election Day Registration (video) - Updating your registration
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You will need to update your registration whenever you move, change your name, or change your political affiliation. Use the links above to update your registration online, or to print a Voter Registration Form.
The voter registration deadline is 15 days before any election. The safest thing to do is to update your registration as soon as you move. (We cannot accept address changes before you move; you need to wait until you reside and can get mail at your new address.)
You can still make changes within the county after the deadline. You can also register after the deadline using Election Day Registration procedures.
If you move to another county in Iowa, you should register in your new county and their Auditor's Office will update your record in the statewide voter system.
If you move out of Iowa, you are not required to cancel your registration in Johnson County. However, other jurisdictions may have rules about being registered in two places. We encourage you to complete the Voter Registration Cancellation Form and return it to our office. - College student voters
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College students have a choice to register to vote at their home address or at their school address.
Voting From Your School Address:
Students attending college in Johnson County may register with their school address. If you reside in a dorm, please include the dorm name and room number (we don't need the street address for dorms). In the "Where You Receive Mail" portion, do not list your home address if you are intending to vote in Johnson County under your school address. If you live in an apartment, please remember to include your apartment number.
Voting From Your Permanent or Home Address:
If students choose to register or remain registered at their home address, they will have to vote in that county or vote by absentee ballot.
- Check your voter registration status
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Check your registration status on the Iowa Secretary of State's website.
- Voting rights restoration
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Voting rights restoration information is available on the Iowa Governor's website.
Election Information
- Polling Places and Precincts
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Note: Due to reprecincting, it is possible that your precinct and polling place changed in 2022.
Polling Place Lookup (Interactive Map)Polling Places and Precincts (List) Includes city maps, individual precinct maps, and background on the 2021 reprecincting process.
- Early voting
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- Voting by mail
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Absentee Ballot Request Form
Iowa voters may not request mailed ballots until 70 days before an election. We are currently accepting requests for the June 4 Primary Election only. You cannot request a ballot for the November 5 General Election (presidential election) until August 27. (Overseas and military voters may request ballots at any time.)
Ballots may not be mailed until 20 days before an election. Iowa does not have permanent absentee status, so you must submit a new request form for each election. The deadline is 15 days before the election.Steps to vote by mail:
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Print and complete an Absentee Ballot Request Form. If you can't print, you can pick up a form, or you can call our office and we can mail you a form.
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Mail or hand deliver your request to our office (we need the hard copy paper form):
Johnson County Auditor
913 S Dubuque St, Suite 101
Iowa City, IA 52240
Anyone may deliver a request form for another voter. -
Your ballot will be mailed to you. (Even if you hand deliver your form, we must mail your ballot.)
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Your ballot must be returned to our office by the time the polls close on Election Day. (This is a recent change in state law. Ballots postmarked before Election Day which reach our office after Election Day will no longer count.)
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- Voting at the Auditor's Office
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Voters can cast an absentee ballot in person at the Johnson County Auditor's office beginning 20 days before any election, through the day before Election Day. Ballots must be voted in the office, you cannot take a ballot home with you.
On Election Day there is no in-person absentee voting at our office, and voters must go to their polling place. - Satellite voting
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Under a recent change in state law, auditors may no longer schedule satellite sites on their own, and sites must be petitioned by the public.
- Overseas and military voters
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The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) extends federal absentee voting rights to Service members, their eligible family members, and overseas citizens. There are special rules for requesting an absentee ballot for these voters. We encourage you to call our office or email [email protected] with questions about this program.
Federal Voting Assistance Program site
FPCA Form - Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program
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The Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program is administered by the Iowa Secretary of State.
- Upcoming elections
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The January 15, 2024 caucuses are meetings of the political parties and are not conducted by our office.
The next scheduled election is the June 4, 2024 Primary Election. Special elections may be scheduled before that date. - Past elections
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Recent elections:
November 7, 2023 City and School Election
October 10, 2023 Iowa City District A Primary
September 12, 2023 Tiffin Special Election
Voter Resources
- Precinct Election Officials
- Elected officials directory
- Voter lists
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The Johnson County Auditor's Office can produce electronic voter lists for Johnson County or for any state legislative or school district which includes part of Johnson County. Congressional district and statewide lists may be ordered from the Secretary of State.
NOTE: Voter data is made available for political purposes only. Use of voter registration information for commercial purposes, such as debt collection or sales, or for any purpose other than those allowed by law is a serious misdemeanor. (Code of Iowa, Section 48A.39) Persons purchasing lists must specify their political purpose (for example, the name of a campaign or political organization). All list requests are kept on public file.
Cost
There is a minimum $10.00 charge for any voter list. Any list with less than 20,000 records will be the $10.00 minimum. For larger lists, the rate is $1.00 per 2,000 records. The voter file is constantly being updated, and actual costs are calculated at the time the list is prepared. A list of all active registered voters in the county usually cost between $45 and $50.
Voters may request copies of their own voter record at no charge, but still need to complete the Voter Registration Record Request Form.
Payment
Cash or check made payable to Johnson County Auditor's Office is due at the time the list is requested. (Unfortunately, we do not accept credit cards at this time).
For more information, contact our office.
If you are unable to find the information you need in these pages, do not hesitate to email [email protected] or call (319) 356-6004.