Who Can Vote in Iowa?

To vote, a person must first register to vote. Visit our page “How Do I Register to Vote?” for more information.

To qualify to vote in Iowa, a person must meet certain requirements. The person must:

• Be a United States citizen
• Be an Iowa resident
• Be at least 18 years old
  • A 17-year old can vote in a primary election if they will be 18 by the election for which the primary is being held.
• Not claim the right to vote in more than one place
• Not be judged incompetent to vote by a court of law
• Not be a convicted felon, unless your voting rights have been restored

While some of these requirements are straightforward, this page addresses four of the requirements in more detail:

• Who counts as an Iowa resident for voting purposes?
• What does it mean not to claim the right to vote in more than one place?
• What does it mean to be judged incompetent to vote by a court of law?
• If I was convicted of a felony, how do I know if my voting rights have been restored?

Who counts as an Iowa resident for voting purposes?

To vote in Iowa elections, you need to be an Iowa resident. What it means to be a “resident” can have different legal meanings in different situations. For voting, a person’s residence “is the place which the person declares is the person’s home with the intent to remain there permanently or for a definite, or indefinite or indeterminable length of time.” Iowa Code section 48A.5(2)(b).

You can vote in Iowa even if you are homeless or do not have an established residence. In this situation, a person “may declare residence in a precinct by describing on the voter registration form a place to which the person often returns.” Iowa Code section 48A.5(2)(b).

Iowa Code section 48A.5A discusses residence for voting in more detail, including residence for students who are living away from home for school and residence for those without a home.

What does it mean not to claim the right to vote in more than one place?

You can only claim the right to vote in one place. If you used to be registered at another location (such as a place you used to live), when you register in your new location, you are “presumed to revoke any earlier claim of residence for voter registration purposes.” Iowa Code section 48A.5(2)(d). 

Example: Lina is a college student who lives in an apartment in Cedar Falls because she is attending the University of Northern Iowa. She grew up in her family's home in Spencer, Iowa. She registered to vote when she turned 18 her senior year of high school in Spencer. Lina can remain registered at her parents’ address, or she can update her registration to her Cedar Falls apartment address. She cannot, however, vote in both places during the same election.

What does it mean to be judged incompetent to vote by a court of law?

For this limitation to apply, a judge must have specifically ruled that you are incompetent to vote. For example, even if a court has appointed a guardian for you, you can still vote unless a judge ruled that you are not competent to vote.

If I was convicted of a felony, how do I know if my voting rights have been restored?

In 2020, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed Executive Order 7, which restored the right to vote for people convicted of a felony who have discharged their sentences, except for people convicted of violating Iowa Code chapter 707. This means that for many people convicted of felonies, their voting rights are automatically restored in Iowa once they've discharged their sentence. People convicted of felony violations of Iowa Code chapter 707 can apply to have their voting rights restored.

More information is available at:

• Iowa Governor, Voting Rights Restoration
• Iowa Secretary of State, Voting Rights Restored