2026 Midterms State GuideIowa
Hold on to your butter cows and Maid-Rite sandwiches.
Polls are closed
Polls are closed in Iowa, and results aren’t finalized yet.
Ballots are still being counted, close races can take days to call, and no result is official until it’s certified.
A prayer for Iowa
Father, all eyes are on Iowa. In the midst of that pressure, we ask that You would steady the hearts of Iowans with Your steadfast care. Protect voters’ judgment from being swept up in the national noise. Anchor them instead in wisdom to vote, seeking the righteousness of Your Kingdom and the flourishing of their communities.
Read the whole prayerUpdated
Hi! It’s me, Shadrach. Apparently, I’m your civic guide today. If you’ve been complaining about how things are going (and I’ve heard you... the walls are thin), this guide will help you feel informed and able to vote in this year’s midterms. Now, hold on to your butter cows and Maid-Rite sandwiches, and let’s get into it.
Iowa at a glance
Iowa votes on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, for governor, U.S. Senate, all 4 U.S. House seats and one statewide ballot measure.
- Election Day
- Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026
- Voter registration
- Oct. 19: Pre-registration deadline and absentee ballot request deadline
- Early voting
- Oct. 14: In-person absentee voting begins at your county auditor's office
- Governor
- 2 candidates
- U.S. Senate
- 3 candidates
- U.S. House
- 4 seats
- Statewide ballot measures
- 1
What happens next
The counting continues
Election-night numbers are unofficial. Mail, provisional, and military ballots are still being counted, so close races can take days to call.
Officials double-check the count
Local election officials review the ballots and the tallies (the canvass). A very close race can go to a recount.
Iowa certifies the results
Results become official once Iowa certifies them, usually a few weeks after Election Day.
Winners take office
The new Congress takes office in early January. Governors and other state officials take office on dates set by state law, most of them in January too.
Important dates
- June 2Primaries This date has passed.
- Oct. 14In-person absentee voting begins at your county auditor's office This date has passed.
- Oct. 19Pre-registration deadline and absentee ballot request deadline This date has passed.
- Nov. 2In-person absentee voting ends This date has passed.
- Nov. 3Election Day, polls open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., same-day registration available; deadline for absentee ballots is 8 p.m. This date has passed.
What’s at stake
Iowa is a purple-ish state, with an open Senate seat drawing national attention from Democrats aiming to flip the currently-red seat to blue. Combined with Iowa’s two competitive toss-up districts (with one leaning less Republican), Dems are eyeing Iowa as a state where they might make real inroads toward retaking Congress. Voters have expressed concern about affordability, specifically with rising energy and healthcare costs. A 2026 poll found that 61% of Iowans say their healthcare costs have increased and 59% believe the government could be doing more to lower them. Democrats criticize the current administration’s policies and warn of an affordability crisis, while Republicans argue recent economic indicators show signs of stabilization and renewed investment in agriculture.
Who’s on your ballot
Tap a race to see the candidates.
Iowa is choosing a governor
See whose priorities line up with yours
Here are the top priorities each candidate lists, in their own words. Pick the 2 that matter most to you. Names stay hidden until you see your results.
0 of 2 picked
- Top priorities
Zach LahnRepublican- Protecting life before birth, ending benefits for immigrants in the country illegally and lowering taxes
- Confronting Iowa's cancer crisis with independent product testing, redirected university research and cleaner water
- Saving the family farm by limiting foreign and out-of-state land ownership and suing agricultural monopolies
Rob SandDemocratcurrent state Auditor
Top priorities- Growing the economy by bringing remote state jobs to rural communities
- Strengthening public education with universal all-day pre-K and accountability for private school vouchers
- Lowering costs by reversing Medicaid privatization and restoring the auditor's power to root out waste
- Get to know ’em
Thomas LaehnLibertarian
All U.S. House of Representatives seats are up for election every two years. Find your district here.
- Shadrach’s big picture
Iowans will elect four candidates to represent them in the U.S. House. Republicans are expected to hold two of those seats, and the other two are toss ups. Iowa is one of the most closely watched states this cycle as it could be one that determines House control.
- Open seats
Two: IA-2’s Rep. Ashley Hinson (R) is running for U.S. Senate, and IA-4’s Rep. Randy Feenstra (R) ran for governor (but lost in the primaries).
- Competitive districts
Both IA-1 and IA-3 are considered to be competitive districts. IA-2 leans Republican and has drifted further away from safe territory since the start of the cycle, and IA-4 is considered solidly Republican.
Statewide ballot measures
1 to read before you go. Tap one to open it.
This amendment would require a two-thirds (66.67%) vote from both chambers of the state legislature to pass a bill that would increase the individual or corporate income tax rate or create a new income tax. The amendment would not require local option taxes to be approved by a two-thirds majority.
Voting yessupports requiring a two-thirds vote in both chambers of the state legislature to raise the individual or corporate income tax rate or create a new income taxVoting noopposes this constitutional amendment, maintaining the current requirement of a simple majority vote in both chambers
Also on the ballot
Other races Iowa voters will decide.
- Lieutenant Governor
- Attorney General
- Secretary of State
- Auditor
- Agriculture Commissioner
- Treasurer
- State Senate
- State House
- Intermediate appellate courts
- Municipal government
Whose job is it?
Ten things government does. Tap the office that does each one.
Whose job is it to…
1 of 10
Declare a state of emergency after a hurricane or flood?
Pass it on
Know someone voting in Iowa?
Send them the guide. It takes one tap, and it saves them an evening of arguing in a group chat.
From the newsroom
How TPO has covered Iowa this cycle. Tap one to read it here.
A prayer for Iowa
Father, all eyes are on Iowa. In the midst of that pressure, we ask that You would steady the hearts of Iowans with Your steadfast care. Protect voters’ judgment from being swept up in the national noise. Anchor them instead in wisdom to vote, seeking the righteousness of Your Kingdom and the flourishing of their communities.
We pray for every candidate. Keep them from performance, posturing, and contempt. Instead, help them campaign with transparency and integrity. May whoever wins steward the weight of this office well, leading with dignity and discernment.
For those who will be disappointed by the result, comfort them in their grief and make Yourself known to them in their fear of tomorrow. Open doors for conversations about the good news that Your sovereignty is not suspended on election night, and Your good purposes aren’t undone by any election cycle.
And for those who will be pleased, turn their hearts toward love of neighbor, humble service, and gracious speech.
Amen.