Election Information

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Iowa State and Federal Elections held on
Tuesday,  November 3, 2020


​Important Deadlines

Monday, October 5th– First Day of Absentee Request Voting for the General Election
Monday, October 19th– Worry-Free Postmark Date for the General Election
Saturday, October 24th– Pre-registration Deadline for the General Election
November 2nd – Absentee Ballot In-Person Deadline for the General Election

Voter Registration

To vote in Iowa, you must be registered to vote.
To qualify to register to vote, you must be:
  • A U.S. citizen,
  • An Iowa resident, and
  • At least 17 1/2 years old (must be 18 years old by election day to vote.)

There are 3 ways to register to vote:

1.  Download a voter registration form.
       *Signed and completed voter registration forms must be delivered to your county auditor.
      Hardin County Auditor's Office
      1215 Edgington Ave., Ste. 1
      Eldora, Iowa 50627

2.  Online Voter Registration
       *You will be transferred to the Iowa Motor Vehicle Division website

3.  Same day registration is available in Iowa on Election Day—bring a vaild ID.

Am I Registered to Vote?

Update your voter registration by completing a new voter registration form.


Absentee Voting

Requesting and voting an absentee ballot through the mail is an easy way to get your ballot mailed to your home or other destination if you are a registered voter in Hardin County. Voting by mail allows you the convenience of voting from the comforts of home.

July 6, 2020 is the first day the Hardin County Auditor's Office can accept an Absentee ballot request form (PDF) for the November 3, 2020 Presidential Election. 
  1. Download an Absentee Ballot Request Form (PDF).
    1. The Barlow Library will also have printed copies available for you to pick up at no charge
    2. Flyers with the request form will also be available in the Times Citizen Advertiser
  2. The auditor's office must have a written request from each individual voter wanting to vote by mail. Auditor offices do not mail out ballots without a request.
  3. The deadline for requesting a ballot to be mailed is 10 days before general elections. The request must be physically in the county auditor's office by 5 p.m.
  4. The auditor's must receive the original request.
  5. Submit the completed Absentee Ballot Request Form to the Hardin County Auditors Office
    1. Our mailing address is: Hardin County Auditor's Office, 1215 Edgington Avenue, Suite 1 -Eldora, Iowa 50627
    2. Email or fax  requests are not honored unless they are followed by the original. The original can be mailed but it must be postmarked on the pre-registration deadline. In addition, the request must be received by the time the polls close on Election Day.
  6. Voted absentee ballots returned by mail must be postmarked on or before the Monday before Election Day, November 2nd. Postmarks are not guaranteed by the Post Office.
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  • Once the Auditor office has your completed absentee ballot request form, staff members will process your absentee ballot request form.
  • For primary and general elections, the ballots are mailed no sooner than 29 days before election day.

When your ballot arrives, there will be additional items inside the delivery envelope:
  1. A ballot for your precinct.
  2. Instructions on how to complete your absentee ballot along with important dates related to absentee voting.
  3. Secrecy folder to keep your voted ballot a secret.
  4. A combined Affidavit/Return Envelope which requires your signature on the backside. The returned envelope is postage paid.

In-person Absentee Voting: Varies by county; contact local election official:
     Jessica Lara-Hardin County Auditor
                         641-939-8245

Absentee Ballot Return: Tuesday, November 3, 2020

On the Ballot

Debate Schedule

     Presidential
September 29, 2020 at Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH)
October 15, 2020 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts (Miami, FL)
October 22, 2020 at Belmont University (Nashville, TN)

Vice Presidential
October 7, 2020 at The University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT)

Campaign Finance Disclosures
Political Fact Checking
  • Center for Public Integrity— A well documented investigative journalism organization and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2014 & 2017. 
  • FactCheck.org—“a nonpartisan, nonprofit ‘consumer advocate’ for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics.”
  • Newsguard— Browser extension that provides an easy way to evaluate websites.  "Green-Red ratings compiled by a team of trained journalists signal if a website is trying to get it right, has a hidden agenda, or knowingly publishes falsehoods and propaganda."
  • PolitiFact—“a fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics.”
  • ProCon.org—“a nonprofit nonpartisan public charity that provides well-sourced pro, con, and related research on more than 50 controversial issues. ... With more than 12,000 pages of highly curated, referenced content, ProCon.org provides a platform for people to question information, evaluate opposing views, and debate them in a respectful way.”
  • AllSides—this site “exposes bias and provides multiple angles on the same story so you can quickly get the full picture, not just one slant.”
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Where to Vote

Find Your Precinct/Polling Place
For more information visit the Iowa Secretary of State