Hello Iowa, If you want to vote this November, first you need to make sure you’re registered.

There’s a link in the description below where you can check whether you’re registered already. If you aren’t registered, or if you’ve moved or changed your name since the last election and need to update your registration, there are a couple ways you can do that.

If you have an Iowa driver’s license, you can go to the link in the description and register online right now. If you don’t have an Iowa license, maybe you’re a student from another state or you don’t drive, you can still register. You’ll just need to print out the form in the description, fill it out and mail it to your county auditor’s office – a link to all their addresses is down in the description too.

If you register with a paper form, make sure it’s postmarked by October 22nd. Otherwise, if you’re registering online, you have until October 27th to complete your registration. If you miss the deadline to register, don’t worry, you can still register at your polling place on election day.

You’ll need to bring a photo ID with an expiration date with you, like a driver’s license, state ID, passport, or student ID from an Iowa high school or college. You’ll also need a proof of address, like a lease, utility bill, bank statement, or paycheck with your name and address on it. If your address on your driver’s license is your current address in Iowa, it counts as both.

Make sure you get there a little early to give yourself extra time to register first before voting. Once you’re registered, you have a couple of choices for how to vote. If you prefer to vote from the comfort of your own home, you can request an absentee ballot by filling out the form in the description, and mailing it to your county auditor’s office so that it arrives by October 27th, but the sooner you apply the better.

Once your ballot request has been processed, you’ll get your ballot in the mail, and all you have to do is fill it out at your own pace and send it back before November 6th. You can even track your absentee ballot to make sure it gets received and counted. Link in the description.

Another way to skip election day lines is by voting filling out an absentee ballot in person at your county auditor’s office. You can can do this any time between October 8th and November 5th, but check the link below for the hours and locations in your county. If you really want that in person voting experience on November 6th, the polls are open from 7am to 9pm and you can find out where to go to vote using the link in the description.

You will be asked to show ID – that’s new this time around, so make sure you have one before election day. You can show an Iowa driver’s license or state ID, passport, tribal ID, or a military or veterans ID. If you don’t have any of those, you can get a voter ID card from your county auditor’s office.

You can also go to your county auditor’s website to look at a sample ballot that tells you everything you’ll be able to vote for. You don’t have to vote for every single item on the ballot – you can leave things blank if you want to, but your local elections can be pretty important, so it’s worth checking out what’s on there ahead of time. You can even print it out and bring it to the polls with you so you don’t forget who you wanted to vote for.

One last thing: if you’re going to vote—open up your notes app or grab a piece of paper and make a plan. Write down when and how you’re going to register, what time you’re going to vote, how you’re gonna get there, what ID you’re going to use, even who you’re going to bring to the polls with you. Having a plan is a great way to make sure that nothing unexpected stops you from voting on November 6th.

All the links you need to check your registration, vote early and find your polling location are in the description. Thank you for voting.