Voting Information

Voting as Civic Right and Responsibility

Grinnell College encourages all members of the campus community to exercise their civil rights and responsibilities by participating in elections in accordance with applicable voting laws.

Informed Electorate

All campus community members are encouraged to educate themselves about political and civic issues, and to become knowledgeable about ballot initiatives and candidates for office.

To vote in Iowa, you must qualify and be registered to vote in Iowa to vote in Iowa elections.

To Qualify to Vote in Iowa

To qualify to vote in Iowa, you must be:

• A U.S. citizen,
• An Iowa resident, and
• At least 17 years old. A person may vote if they will be 18 years old on or before election day. In the case of primary elections, a person may vote if they will be 18 years old on or before the corresponding regular election.

You cannot:

• Be a convicted felon (unless your voting rights have been restored),
• Be judged mentally incompetent to vote by a court, or
• Claim the right to vote in any other place.

To Register in Iowa

Although you may register to vote on election day at your polling site, pre-registration (online or at the county auditor’s office) is recommended both for your convenience and the convenience of poll workers.

1. The first step is to check your voter registration.
2. If you are not registered to vote in Iowa, learn how to pre-register.
3. Know the requirements to register to vote on election day.
4. Learn how to update your registration.

Students may attain proof of residency at the residence life office in JRC310.