Northwest Iowa — The June 2nd Primary Election is rapidly approaching, with early voting getting underway in just a few weeks.
Election officials tell us absentee voting starts May 13th, which is 20 days before the election. That’s the first day that you can go to your county auditor’s office to absentee vote in person, and also — while you’ve been able to request them for over a month now — the first day that they are able to mail out absentee ballots. If you want a ballot mailed to you, you have to request it on a special absentee ballot request form that you can find online or have your auditor’s office send to you. You can mail in the completed form or deliver it in person. If you go in person, you can vote right then and there, or you can have your ballot mailed to you, but you cannot get a ballot there and take it with you. You can request an absentee ballot until May 18th, 2026.
Since this is a primary election, you have to be registered as a Republican or a Democrat. Of course, you can change parties when you vote in person or fill out an absentee ballot request form. You can also do that at the polls on the day of the election, which, again, is June 2nd.
In addition to the races for one of the US Senators, the Governor, and the Auditor of State, some state representative seats are up for election this year. Also on the ballot will be the State Treasurer, Secretary of Agriculture, and Attorney General.
Our primary listening area, the four northwesternmost Iowa counties, is split evenly, with half in Iowa Senate District 2, which is not up for election this year, and half in Iowa Senate District 3, which is.
Not every office has more than one candidate, so, barring something unusual, there will be several shoe-ins for their party’s nomination.
For more information, call your county auditor’s office or go to sos.iowa.gov.
KIWA Staff Photo
