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.

Step 2: Register

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 Rosenfield Center, Room 310.

Step 3: Make a Plan

Voting ID Requirements

Iowa voters are required to show an Iowa driver’s license or non-operator ID, U.S. passport, U.S. military ID or veteran’s ID, tribal ID/document or Iowa voter ID card at the polls before they vote. A voter without one of the listed forms of ID may have the voter’s identity attested to by another registered voter in the precinct or may prove identity and residence using Election Day Registration documents. Voters without the necessary ID or an attester will be offered a provisional ballot and can provide ID up until the time of the county canvass of votes (Monday after election day for General Elections). More information about voter ID requirements can be found on the Iowa Secretary of State’s webpage - Voter ID FAQ.

Students may attain proof of residence at the residence life office in Rosenfield Center, Room 310.

Employee Voting Policy

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

Section 2: Benefits; Section D: Leave Programs — Voting Leave

Grinnell College encourages employees to fulfill their civic responsibilities by participating in elections. In the event an employee does not have sufficient time outside of their regularly scheduled working hours to vote in an election, the employee may schedule time during work, If the employee cannot vote prior to work or after work because of their work schedule, they need to discuss this with their supervisor. The employee’s supervisor will then designate the period of time that the employee may be away from work to vote.

Per Iowa's voting law, employees who are eligible to vote and who do not have three (3) consecutive hours during the time the polls are open in which to vote, 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 (3) consecutive hours of non-working time during the poll’s opening hours.

Time should be taken at the beginning or end of the regular work schedule. Time spent voting may be designated as paid time and must be entered into the payroll system.

If you have questions concerning this policy, please contact Human Resources at 641-269-4818.