Voting Information

Midterm Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8. In 2022, all 50 states will elect House representatives, 36 states will elect governors, and 34 states will elect senators, along with local and state offices throughout the country. Whether you're voting in Grinnell or your hometown, here are deadlines, events, requirements, options, and information on how to vote.

Step 1: Decide Where to Vote

Voting in Grinnell

Voting at Your Home Address

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.

Step 2: Register

Check Your Voter Registration

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.

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

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

Step 3: Make a Plan

Vote Absentee

Vote In-Person Before Election Day

Vote In-Person On Election Day

Important Dates

Oct. 19 - Absentee ballots ready; first day to vote in-person absentee
Oct. 24 - Auditor's Office open 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Voter pre-registration deadline; Deadline to request an absentee ballot to be mailed
Oct. 25 – Satellite Voting in JRC 101 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Oct. 28 – Satellite Voting at Drake Library from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Oct. 31 - Auditor's Office open 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Nov. 7 - In-person absentee voting deadline
Nov. 8 - Election Day. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Employee Voting Policy

The college voting policy is described in the Staff Handbook as follows:

Section 2, A.6 Time Off to Vote

Grinnell College encourages employees to fulfill their civic responsibilities by participating in elections. Generally, employees are able to find time to vote either before or after their regular work schedule. However, you should be aware of Iowa’s voting law: If you are eligible to vote and you do not have three consecutive hours during the time the polls are open in which to vote, you are entitled to time off from work to vote. The employer is required to give time off only for the portion of time that is necessary to give the employee a full three consecutive hour of non-working time during the poll’s open hours. If you cannot vote prior to work or after work because of your work schedule, you are to discuss this with your supervisor. Your supervisor will then designate the period of time that you may be away from work to vote. This time will be designated as paid time off, and there will be no deduction from your pay.

If you have questions concerning this policy, please contact Human Resources at 269-4818.