Know before you go: Iowa primary elections

DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) - Primary elections for city council seats and a mayoral race are being held in Burlington and Davenport on Tuesday.

Before you head to the polls, here’s what you need to know.

Registering to Vote

Iowa voters can register to vote online, by mail, or at the polls on Election Day, according to Voter Ready.

Voter registration requirements:

• At least 17 years old
• U.S. Citizen
• Iowa Resident
• Cannot be a convicted felon, unless your voting rights have been restored.
• Cannot be judged mentally incompetent
• Cannot claim the right to vote anywhere else.

“In Iowa, we will let 17-year-olds register,” Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said. “Now, they can’t vote unless they’ll be 18 by November, but they’ll be able to register ahead of time.”

What you need:

• Pre-registering online: a diver’s license or a non-operator ID, and the last five digits of your social security number.
• Pre-registering at your county auditor’s office or by mail: Either a driver’s license, a non-operator ID, or the last four digits of your social security number.

Deadlines:

• By mail: Must be mailed to the county auditor’s office and received by 5 p.m. or postmarked 15 days before the election.
• Online: Finished at or before 11:59 p.m. 15 days before the election.

Anyone who isn’t registered on or before Oct. 21 can still register and vote by giving proof of identity and residence, officials said.

Registering on Election Day:

You will need to provide proof of identity and current residence for your voting precinct, officials said. Proof of residency documents can be electronic or on paper.

What you need to vote in person:

• Iowa driver’s license
• Iowa non-operator ID
• U.S. Passport
• U.S. Military or veteran ID
• Iowa Voter ID card must be signed
• Tribal ID card/document must be signed and have a photo

“If you don’t have that, then you have someone else who does have a driver’s license who’s willing to vouch and say, ‘yep, that’s Paul Pate,’ and you will show them your driver’s license to prove you are who you say you are, and we will start the process of getting them registered to vote,” Pate said.

Check your registration

Click here to check your voter registration status.

If you’ve moved, either from another state or county, you will need to register in your new county before the election or at the polls, according to the Iowa Secretary of State’s website.

“If you moved, you may be at a different polling site,” Pate said.

Click here to find your polling place.

Primary, local election turnout

The upcoming election on Nov. 4, Pate said, won’t have major political parties driving turnout.

“When you look at 10-15% of the eligible voters, or registered voters for that matter, who are actually voting, that’s a pretty small group who is actually deciding the destiny or the big call decisions in your community,” Pate said.

Smaller areas with no contested races tend to have a lower turnout, Pate said, but an area with an issue like a school bond referendum can drive turnout up.

“I would expect it to be a little higher in the Quad Cities area, for an example, because you have more races,” Pate said. “And as you pointed out, you have primaries for your city elections, so that tends to kind of get people out there.”