IOWA IS HOLDING ITS CRUCIAL MIDTERM ELECTIONS – MAKE SURE YOUR VOICE IS HEARD!
What elections are there in Iowa? What am I voting for?
Voting has never been more important and your vote is crucial!
Iowa will hold its Midterm elections for US Representatives and US Senate as well as state-wide offices for Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, State Supreme Court, and your State Representatives and State Senators.
All Iowa overseas voters can vote in these important elections!
Please vote for all the races on your ballot – Iowa state elections are hugely important! State governments are responsible for voting and state policies on abortion and reproductive rights, climate change, education, and so many other issues that affect us no matter where we are in the world.
1) Register to Vote and Request Your Ballot Today
It's easy to request your ballot – and your ballot request covers all elections in 2022, including any possible Runoffs or Special Elections.
Go to www.votefromabroad.org and follow the prompts to fill out the form to request your ballot, the Federal Post Card Application form (FPCA). To ensure you receive your ballot in time, please check the box on the FPCA to have your blank ballot sent to you by “Email/Online” or “Fax”.
You can send in your FPCA to your local election office in Iowa by email (recommended) or fax or mail. It must be received by November 7, 2022, at 5pm Iowa time.
2) When You Get Your Ballot, Fill It Out and Mail It Back Right Away
Ballots started going out on September 24, 2022. If you asked for your ballot by email, be sure to check your spam folder and any secondary inboxes.
When you get your ballot, fill it out and mail it back right away. You must return your ballot by mail.
Your ballot must be postmarked no later than November 7 (the date before Election Day) AND it also must be received in Iowa by November 14.
*Special Ballot Return Deadline: Active duty members of the military may return their ballots by email or fax. Ballots sent by email or fax must be received by November 8, 2022, at 8pm Iowa time.
For ideas on how to mail your ballot back by the deadline, please click here
And to contact DA volunteers in the country you're living in now for specific ideas for mailing back your ballot, please click here to go to the DA page for your country.
3) Send in a Backup Ballot Now
You don’t need to wait until ballots come out in late September! If you have any concerns that your ballot won’t make it back in time to meet the deadline, you can send in a Backup Ballot NOW.
The Backup Ballot (the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot, or FWAB) is only for overseas voters and protects your right to vote in case your official ballot doesn't arrive in time. For detailed information how to use the Backup Ballot, please click here
When you use the Backup Ballot for a federal election, the website will indicate the candidates for US Senate, and the candidates for US House in your Congressional District.
And you can also use the Backup Ballot for state elections, but you will need to add those to the “Write In Candidates” section. You can use this website to find the candidates in your jurisdiction: https://ballotpedia.org/Sample_Ballot_Lookup
In the "Write in Candidates" block, type in the name of the office. Then type in either the candidate’s name or “Democrat.”
4) Confirm That Your Ballot Was Accepted and Counted
After you send in your ballot, make sure your vote is counted!
You can check your ballot status online using: https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/absenteeballotstatus/absentee/search
You may need to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to connect to this website from outside the US. For more information about how to use a VPN, please click here.
Or, you can email or call your local election office directly. You can find the contact information at: www.votefromabroad.org/states/IA; scroll down to "Find Your Election Office"
And if there is a problem with your ballot, you may be able to fix it – but the earlier you send it in, the more time you’ll have.
NEED HELP? EMAIL US AT [email protected]