A new state law allows you to register to vote today at your polling place. The first test for "same-day" voter registration was in the June primary and Deputy Secretary of State Linda Langenberg says only 900 Iowans registered to vote that day, so it’s hard to predict what will happen on this General Election.
"We don’t know how many to anticipate," she says. If you show up at the polls today and have not registered to vote, you must show a photo I.D. and proof of your current residence — a utility bill, for example — to register on site. Extra pollworkers will be on hand to keep these late registrants from slowing down voting for others.
"The county auditors have lots of the forms ready and are gearing up with staff to handle the situation," Langenberg says, "so I think we’ll be ready for it." In previous elections, voters had to register to vote 10 days before Election Day. In mid-October, state election officials said 95% of eligible voters in Iowa had registered to vote. The polls open at 7 a.m. this morning and close at 9 p.m.