Welcome to Howard County, Iowa
Howard County Iowa - Election Information
Elections Information in Howard County
Results for Election will be available online on election night. View dashboard linked below to see results
Unofficial Results
October 5, 2020: First day for Absentee ballots to be mailed out or voted in the Auditor’s Office
October 19, 2020: Mailed voter registration forms which are postmarked on or before today are considered on time to be pre-registered for the general election even if they are received after today.
October 24, 2020: Last day to pre-register to vote, in person, by mail or at the driver’s license.
October 24, 2020: Last day to request an absentee ballot be mailed
October 24, 2020: Auditor’s office is open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
October 30, 2020: Auditor’s office must be open until 5:00 p.m., last day to submit written challenges to absentee voters
October 31, 2020: Auditor’s office is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for absentee voting
November 2, 2020: Last day to vote in person at the Auditor’s Office. Auditor’s Office will be open until 5:00 p.m.
November 3, 2020: Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Main Election Information
Polling Places for the November 3 General Election - Click Here for more Information
This is the main election information page. For additional Election information we recommend that you visit the Secretary of States website and look under Elections. We have broken elections into five (5) categories for ease of use. The categories are
Primary Elections
Howard County Primary Election Information
A primary election is an election in which voters in a jurisdiction select candidates for a subsequent election (nominating primary).
In other words, primary elections are generally when each political party decides its nominee for the upcoming general election.
Primaries are common in the United States, where they trace their origin to the progressive movement.
Elsewhere in the world, the nomination of candidates is usually the responsibility of political parties and does not make use of the public apparatus for holding elections.
For more information about Primary Elections visit Wikipedia.
Absentee ballots will be available for voting in the office of the Howard County Auditor’s Office. You may submit absentee requests for mailing ballots at anytime. Any voter wishing to vote absentee may come into the Howard County Auditor’s Office and vote absentee during regular business hours, Monday thru Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or you can request a ballot to be mailed to you by filling out a request form and sending it to the Howard County Auditor’s Office, 137 N Elm St, Cresco, IA 52136.
These request forms may be obtained from the Auditor’s Office or you can download them from the Howard County website: www.co.howard.ia.us or from the Iowa Secretary of State’s website: www.sos.state.ia.us.
You may contact the Howard County Auditor, Julie Chapman,
by calling the Auditor’s Office at (563) 547-9203,
by stopping by the Auditor’s office at 137 N Elm St,
Cresco, IA 52136 or
by email: jchapman@co.howard.ia.us
Resources:
Am I Registered To Vote In Iowa?
Iowa Secretary of State - Find Your Polling Place
Election / Voter Registration Forms:
Application for Absentee Ballot,
Voter Registration and Absentee Form for Military/Overseas
Voter Registration Form - Return this to Howard County Auditor
Election Day Voter Registration Information
Election Presentations from (IA State Association of County Auditors)
First Time Voter Information
Voter Registration Information - Iowa Secretary of State
Notice of Election - Primary 2020
primary election 2020 candidates.
For more information and to download forms regarding Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosures, Click Here to go to the Iowa
Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board
General Elections
A general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are up for election.
The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.
Resources:
Am I Registered To Vote In Iowa?
Iowa Secretary of State - Find Your Polling Place
Election / Voter Registration Forms:
Application for Absentee Ballot
Voter Registration and Absentee Form for Military / Overseas
Voter Registration Form - Return this to Howard County Auditor
Election Day Voter Registration Information
Election Presentations from (IA State Association of County Auditors)
First Time Voter Information
Voter Registration Information - Iowa Secretary of State
General Election Archives
2010 General Election Results
For more information and to download forms regarding Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosures, Click Here to go to the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board. If you have an Questions, Please Contact the Howard County Auditor's Office 563-547-9203
City/School Elections
Howard County City/School Election Information
The regular city/school election includes the regular city election and regular school election, as well as election of community college directors, and
is held in November in odd number years.
A city election is used to elect the Mayor and Council Members for specific cities in Howard County.
School elections are used to elect school board members for specific school districts located in and adjacent to Howard County.
City, schools, merged areas and counties can include public measures on the regular city/school election ballot.
Below please find some general Information Concerning the 2019 Regular City/School Election
The 2019 City/School Election will be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2019.
The candidate filing period begins Monday, August 26, 2019, and ends Thursday, September 19, 2019, at 5 pm.
Nomination papers must be filed with the city clerk by 5 pm on the final day of the filing period.
Signature Requirements for Cities Without Primary or Runoff Provisions (dependent on the size of the city)
For cities with a population of 3,500 or greater: at least 25 signatures
For cities with a population between 100 and 3,499: at least 10 signatures
For cities with a population of 99 or less: at least 5 signatures
The candidate filing period begins Monday, August 26, 2019, and ends Thursday, September 19, 2019, at 5 pm.
Nomination papers must be filed with the secretary of the school board by 5 pm on the final day of the filing period.
For school districts (or director districts when applicable) with fewer than 1,000 registered voters, the minimum number of signatures is 10.
For school districts (or director districts when applicable) with more than 1,000 registered voters, the minimum number of signatures is 1% of the number of registered voters or 50, whichever is less.
City, schools, merged areas and counties can include public measures on the regular city/school election ballot.
Deadlines to submit the notice of including a public measure and the full test of the measure are:
Cities and Schools: 12:00 noon on the day after the candidate filing deadline.
Merged Areas: 5:00 p.m. on the day after the candidate filing deadline.
Counties: 5:00 p.m. on the day of the candidate filing deadline.
The Candidate’s Guide, the Affidavit of Candidacy Form, and the Nomination Petition Form can be found at the following links
Am I Registered To Vote In Iowa?
Iowa Secretary of State - Find Your Polling Place
Election/Voter Registration Forms:
Application for Absentee Ballot
Voter Registration and Absentee Form for Military/Overseas
Voter Registration Form - Return this to Howard County Auditor
Election Day Voter Registration Information
Election Presentations from (Iowa State Association of County Auditors)
Special Elections
Special Election for Lime Springs City Council Member
For Lime Springs City Special Elections Results Click Here
Howard County Special Election Information
A Special Election is any election that is not a regular scheduled election. The election may be called for by any taxing authority in Howard County, including city councils, the county board of supervisors, school boards or by any other governing body for any purpose authorized or required as defined by the Code of Iowa.
Election Presentations from (IA State Association of County Auditors)
First Time Voter Information
Voter Registration Information - Iowa Secretary of State
Special Election Archives
2010 Special Election Results
2014 Special Election Results
The following links provide information to help young voters navigate the often confusing registration process:
Click Here to View - Top 5 Reasons to Vote
(1) It's your money. The elected officials you vote for will decide how much of our wealth to invest in public services and how to fairly share the tax burden.
(2) It's your children's education. You elect local and state school board members who set public education policy and budgets that will affect how well prepared your children and grandchildren will be for the future. Decisions by our legislators, governor, members of Congress and president also affect the public schools-- and the quality and cost of higher education as well.
(3) It's your job. Congress, the president, the governor and your legislators influence what job training is available, minimum wage, pay equity, fairness in hiring, health insurance through your employer, job and pension security, and workplace safety.
(4) It's your health care. Action by the governor, legislature and Congress has made health insurance accessible to thousands but many citizens are still uninsured.
(5) Their decisions on Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance laws determine your access to health care. You breathe the air and drink the water.
Howard County, state and national elected officials set pollution standards, enforcement strategies and budgets. They plan and zone where roads and industries will be built and how public lands will be used -- decisions that can determine how safe your air and water are.
For any Election related questions - Please contact the Howard County Auditor's office
Howard County Courthouse
137 North Elm Street
Cresco IA 52136
Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm
Phone Number: (563) 547-9203
Fax Number: (563) 547-9229
County Auditor: Julie Chapman
First Deputy: Amy Retterath
For all past Election Dates ( Sorted by Year ) and Types
Three Year Election Calendar
From the Iowa Secretary of State's (SOS) website Click on the Link Below