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

Presidential & Vice Presidential Debates

Iowa U.S. Senate Debates

U.S. Congress Debates

Local Candidates