How to vote · 2026
Iowa
Any voter can request a mail ballot
Every date below comes from the Iowa election office and links to the page that states it. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
Dates and rules
Registration, mail ballots, and early voting
Registration deadlineOctober 19, 2026Advance registration (online, in person, or mail postmarked) by Oct. 19, 2026 (15 days before). Same-day registration with ID at early-voting sites and on Election Day.
Mail-ballot request deadlineOctober 19, 2026
Mail ballots first sentOctober 14, 2026County auditors mail absentee ballots starting 20 days before Election Day (Oct. 14, 2026; Iowa Code 53.8). Applications must be received by 5 p.m. Oct. 19 (15 days out).
Return ruleMust be received by close of polls (8 p.m.) on Election Day
Early in-person votingOctober 14, 2026through November 2, 2026 · In-person absentee voting at county auditor offices Oct. 14-Nov. 2, 2026 (20 days); satellite sites vary by county.
Official IA election site ↗Dates last verified against the official site September 1, 2026.Sources: [1] USA.gov directory of official state election offices[2] Mail voting Oct. 14-Nov. 3, 2026[3] CEIR 2026 voter registration deadlines (June 25, 2026 dataset; per-mode deadlines and same-day registration windows)[4] NCSL Table 7: statutory rule for when absentee/mail ballots are mailed[5] NCSL Table 5: statutory absentee ballot application deadline[6] NCSL Table 11 (updated Dec. 2025): ballot receipt/postmark deadline
Every state
Compare Iowa with the rest of the country.
The full table of mail-ballot send dates, registration deadlines, and early-voting windows for all fifty states and DC, plus the documented record of government actions on mail voting this cycle.
Back to Ballot Watch →