Elections 101: Declaring a party for the Primary Election

Elections 101 is a weekly series of articles offering a variety of information regarding elections in Iowa and Allamakee County prior to this year’s June 4 Primary Election. The information is being provided courtesy of Allamakee County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections Denise Beyer.

The only time that party affiliation is important in terms of casting a ballot is in the case of a Primary Election. In these cases, voters must be registered with the political party whose Primary they wish to vote in. Voters have the right to change their party affiliation for the Primary Election on the day of the election.

The Auditor’s office takes many phone calls leading up to a Primary Election regarding the topic of political party affiliation for the Primary Election - can voters change party, how and when to change party, and how and when to change their party back, if they wish. This second article in the Election 101 series leading up to the June 4, 2024 Primary Election addresses some of these questions that voters may have.

Declaring a Party for the Primary Election
In Iowa, voters must declare a political party when voting at a Primary Election. Why? Because the purpose of the Primary Election is for political parties to nominate candidates who will be on the General Election ballot in November. Winning candidates are nominated, not elected, in a Primary Election.

There is a separate ballot for each political party in a Primary - a Democratic, a Republican and a Libertarian ballot - with each party’s ballot having only candidates from that party who are seeking to have their name for a specific office on the November ballot for their party. The results of the Primary election determine which candidates move forward and have their name on the General Election ballot. Each party can nominate one candidate for races in the General Election if it is a vote-for-one race, or two candidates if it is a vote-for-two race, such as County Supervisor in 2026.

A voter must declare the one-party ballot they want to vote. They cannot vote the Democratic ballot and also receive a Republican ballot to vote for some Republican candidates. By requesting a specific party ballot, either when voting absentee or when voting at the polls on Election Day, the voter declares that party as the party they wish to be registered with.

What if a voter registered as one party wants to vote the ballot for another party for the Primary Election?
Whether voting absentee by mail, absentee in person at the Auditor’s office or voting at the polls on Election Day, each voter will be asked which political party’s ballot they want. When voting absentee or at the polls, whichever ballot the voter requests is the party which will show on the voter’s Declaration of Eligibility slip, which every voter signs. By the voter signing this Declaration of Eligibility slip showing the ballot they requested, the voter is declaring the party they wish to be registered with.

For those voting absentee by mail, they sign their Absentee Ballot Request form which shows the party ballot they have requested, and their signature on this form enables the Auditor’s office to change the party affiliation on the voter’s registration record, if it is a change from the voter’s current party.

Following the election, the Auditor’s office prints a report from each precinct laptop showing which party ballot all voters requested at the polls on Election Day and changes the party registration of the voters who requested a different party ballot than the party they were registered with prior to the Primary. The Auditor’s office will mail a new Voter Registration Acknowledgment card to those voters who changed party when they voted.

It is a simple process at the polls, but a voter does not have to wait to go to the polls to change the party affiliation on their registration. If a voter knows they want to change their party, they may choose to complete a new voter registration form before Election Day to register with the party whose ballot they wish to cast at the Primary Election. This process should be completed prior to the pre-registration deadline of May 20 at 5 p.m. if the voter wishes for the change to be reflected in the voter register at the polling place.

Can a voter who is registered as No Party vote in the Primary Election?
The same rules and process apply to a voter registered as No Party who wishes to vote a partisan ballot at the Primary. If a voter refuses to declare a party, they are unable to vote at the Primary Election.

When a voter can change back
Following the Primary Election, some voters may not wish to remain registered with the party they requested a ballot for at the Primary. Some voters change to vote for a specific race or person on that party’s ballot and wish to change back as soon as possible. The Auditor’s office does send voter registration forms to each polling site.

Voters who change their party at the polls can pick up a form to be submitted to the Auditor’s office, after the election, with their desired political party marked. Other ways a voter can change their party back following the Primary include online at https://sos.iowa.gov/, https://allamakeecountyelections.iowa.gov/, or in person at the Auditor’s office.

One key thing to note is that the Auditor’s office cannot change a voter’s party back until after vote credit is given and balanced to the number of ballots cast at the Primary and the election is closed out in the state voter registration system. It could take three to four weeks for this process to be completed.

Voters age 18 on or before November 5
Auditor Denise Beyer wishes to remind anyone who will be 18 on or before November 5, 2024, the date of the General Election, they are also eligible to vote in the June 4, 2024 Primary Election. For the smoothest process on Election Day, it is best to register by the pre-registration deadline of May 20 at 5 p.m.

Questions
Anyone with questions regarding this topic or any other election law or process should call the Allamakee County Auditor’s office at 563-568-3522. The Auditor’s office should be the trusted source for all election questions and information. Auditor Denise Beyer warns against believing everything that can be read on social media and the internet that may not be true, and even TV and radio news can be confusing or misleading as they often talk about what is happening in other states, issues and topics that do not apply to Iowa elections. Use your County Auditor as your trusted source of all election information.