----------------------This is when the election process begins----------------------
Step 1: Primaries & Caucuses
There are many people who want to be President, each with their own ideas about how the government should work. People with similar ideas belong to the same political party. This is where primaries and caucuses come in. Candidates from each political party campaign throughout the country to win the favor of their party members.
Beginning in February, the main voting events, Primaries and Caucuses, will lead to a selection of delegates who will represent the people at the upcoming conventions. The main focus will be on the results from Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina, which can usually determine who the final presidential nominee for each party will be.
In a Caucus
Party members select the best candidate through a series of discussions and votes.
In a Primary
Party members vote for the best candidate who will represent them in the general election.
Step 2: National Conventions
Each party holds a national convention to select a final presidential nominee. State delegates from the primaries and caucuses selected to represent the people will now “endorse” their favorite candidates, and the final presidential nominee from each party will be officially announced at the end of the conventions. The presidential candidate also chooses a running mate (Vice Presidential candidate). The presidential candidates campaign throughout the country to win the general population's support.
Step 3: General Election
People in every state across the country vote for one President and Vice President. When Americans go to the polls in November, they will select their favorite presidential candidate and their running mate.
When people cast their vote, they are actually voting for a group of people called electors. Except in the states of Maine and Nebraska, if a candidate receives the majority of the votes from the people of a state then the candidate will receive all electoral votes of that state.
The presidential nominee with the most electoral votes becomes the President of the United States.
Step 4: Electoral College
The Electoral College is a process in which electors or representatives from each state, in numbers proportional to the state’s populatio,n cast their vote and determine who will be president.
Each state gets a certain number of electors based on its representation in Congress. There are a total of 538 electors selected according to each state’s policy. Each elector casts one vote following the general election, and the candidate who gets more than half (270) wins.
The newly elected President and Vice President are inaugurated in January.
Information from the U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Kazakhstan
What is the Electoral College?
The Electoral College is not a physical place. It is a process that includes the following:
In other U.S. elections, candidates are elected directly by popular vote. However, the president and vice president are not elected directly by citizens. Instead, they are chosen through the Electoral College process.
Who is in the Electoral College?
Each state gets as many electors as it has members of Congress (House and Senate). Including Washington, D.C.’s three electors, there are currently 538 electors in all. Find out how many electoral votes each state gets.
Each state’s political parties choose their own slate of potential electors. Who is chosen to be an elector, how, and when varies by state. Learn more about how electors are chosen.
How does the Electoral College process work?
1. After you cast your ballot for president, your vote goes to a statewide tally. In 48 states and Washington, D.C., the winner gets all the electoral votes for that state. Maine and Nebraska assign their electors using a proportional system.
2. A candidate needs the vote of at least 270 electors—more than half of all electors—to win the presidential election.
3. In most cases, a projected winner is announced on election night in November after you vote. But the actual Electoral College vote takes place in mid-December when the electors meet in their states.
While the Constitution does not require electors to vote for the candidate chosen by their state's popular vote, some states do. The rare elector who votes for someone else may be fined, disqualified, and replaced by a substitute elector. Or they may even be prosecuted by their state.
This information is from the USA Gov.
Controversies with the Electoral College:
In recent years, state lawmakers have debated the continued use of the Electoral College. Should it be left intact or abolished? Improved or replaced? Opinions differ. We offer two views here. Trent England, director of the Save Our States project, favors the current system. Vermont Senator Christopher Pearson (P/D) sits on the board of the National Popular Vote Inc. and would do away with our winner-take-all system.
For the pros and cons of the Electoral College, check out the NCSL website.
Remember: You need to be registered to vote in Iowa.
General Elections:
In general elections, you vote for federal, state, and local officials.
In odd-numbered years, such as 2025, general elections for electing local officials are also called municipal elections because there are no federal or state officials being elected. Every four years, the General Election is also a Presidential Election because, according to the U.S. Constitution, the U.S. President’s term is four years.
The General Election is held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. This year,the General Election (Presidential Election) will take place on November 5th, 2024.
Primary Elections:
In primary elections, a party selects a candidate for a General Election, and you vote for a candidate who will be nominated to be on the ballot. Article I, section 4 of the U.S. Constitution gives individual states the right to decide when and how elections are conducted. As a result, every state has different dates for its elections and follows different rules.
There are three types of primary elections: “open primary,” “closed primary,” and “blanket/ nonpartisan primary.”
Special Elections:
In special elections, you can vote for a candidate to replace an official who is no longer able to serve. In other words, if an elected official has resigned, died, or been removed from office, you can vote for a new official. Special elections may be held either during a general election or a primary election, or on a completely different date assigned by the elections office. Everyone who lives in the district can vote in that election.
All in all, there are plenty of opportunities to participate in the democratic process in the United States.
**Information provided by the U.S. Vote Foundation
Register to vote or update your voter registration online using your Iowa driver’s license or non-operator ID number. You should receive your voter registration card from your county auditor within three weeks.
Official Voter Registration Form
You cannot vote in Iowa if you have been judged to be mentally incompetent to vote by a court, claim the right to vote in another state, or have been convicted of a felony (unless your rights have been restored). To learn more about the restoration of voting rights, visit the Iowa Secretary of State's website.
Find out if you are Registered to Vote
The polling place data on this page is for regularly scheduled Primary, General, and City/School Elections only. It is provided by county auditors through the statewide voter registration database.
The polling place data on this page is for regularly scheduled Primary, General, and City/School Elections only. It is provided by county auditors through the statewide voter registration database.
State Official Absentee Ballot
A registered voter may make a written application to their County Auditor for an absentee ballot starting 70 days before the election. A written application for a mailed absentee ballot must be received by the voter's County Auditor no later than 5:00 p.m., 15 days before the election.
Additional Information on Elections and Voting in Iowa
The Office of the Iowa Secretary of State coordinates and supervises elections throughout Iowa. Acting as the State Commissioner of Elections, this office supervises the 99 Iowa County Auditors in the administration of our election laws and administrative rules.
Candidates for all statewide, federal, legislative, and certain judicial offices will file their nomination petitions with this office.
Find information about voting, absentee voting, registration, UOCAVA, filing as a candidate, and much more here on our website.
The Upcoming Election 2025 - City/School Elections
