Elections
Where are you on the political spectrum?
Vote Easy Tool from Vote Smart
"Just click on a candidate’s sign to see their positions on key issues OR compare your issue positions to those of all the candidates. Additional questions you answer will be averaged in to find the candidate most like you."
Ballotpedia
Be an informed voter.
Enter your address.
See your sample ballot.
Do any research you need to do.
Be prepared to vote.
Judges in Iowa
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Iowa judges and justices are on the ballot this year. Here's how to learn more before you vote.article from the Des Moines Register
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Iowa Voters' Judicial Directory (pdf) "Answers to Questions about Judicial Retention Elections Biographies of Judges on the 2020 Iowa Ballot"
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Judicial Facts "Iowa voters often wonder how they should vote when they see the names of state judges on the general election ballot. To help guide them, The Iowa State Bar Association surveys lawyers who have regular contact with those judges in the courtroom. Practicing lawyers are asked to rate judges they appear before on a number of factors, such as knowledge of the law and treatment of litigants. Then they are asked whether these judges should be retained."
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Judicial Performance Review (pdf) from the Iowa State Bar Association
Government Information Librarian
Choosing Who to Vote For
Who's on the Ballot?
In addition to voting for the President and Vice-President and members of Congress, voters have several other choices to make when they cast their ballot. This includes statewide and local positions as well as ballot initiatives. For instance, here is a list of what voters in Johnson County, Iowa will choose from this year (Johnson County Auditor's Office):
- President and Vice President
- US Senator
- US Representative, 2nd District
- State Representatives: Districts 73, 74, 77, 85, 86
- County Board of Supervisors: three seats
- County Sheriff
- County Auditor
- County Agricultural Extension Council: four seats
- Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner: three seats
- Township officials: two trustees in all rural townships.
- Judicial retention (yes or no for judges to remain in office)
- Iowa constitutional convention question
To see what will be on your ballot when you go to vote, Ballotpedia.org has a useful tool that allows you to plug in your address and view national and statewide candidates and issues up for vote (Sample Ballot Lookup).
Information on what will be on the ballot for local elections is a little more sporadic. A useful place to start is by checking the website of your state's Secretary of State office or of your local County Auditor's office.
Deciding How to Vote
Once you've determined what your options will be when you go to vote, you'll need to decide who (and what) to vote for. There are a number of ways that you can make this choice and ultimately how you decide to vote is up to you. To help with this decision-making process we've gathered a collection of resources to help you get a better sense of the positions that candidates and parties advocate for.
Issues-Based Websites
Political Parties and Their Platforms
Debates & Candidate Forums
Presidential & Vice Presidential Debates
Iowa U.S. Senate Debates
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U.S. Senate Debate for Iowa from Iowa Press (Iowa PBS) - September 28, 2020Senator Joni Ernst (R) and Theresa Greenfield (D) debate.
U.S. Congress Debates
Local Candidates
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Johnson County Iowa Board of Supervisors Candidates Forum from the League of Women Voters of Johnson County IowaThe forum starts approximately 5 minutes into the video playing