What is a Primary Election and who can vote? Allamakee County Auditor’s Office shares information regarding Primary Election coming up June 2

by Denise Beyer
Allamakee County Auditor, Commissioner of Elections

Any eligible voter can vote in the Primary Election in Iowa, however both the Republican and Democratic parties have a “closed” Primary, meaning voters must be registered with the political party whose Primary they wish to vote in. Voters in Iowa have the right to change their party affiliation on the day of the Primary Election to vote that party’s ballot.

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; whether voters can change party; how and when to change party; and how and when to change their party back after the Primary, if they wish. This article leading up to the June 2, 2026 Primary Election addresses these questions.
    
Declaring a Party for the Primary Election
In Iowa, all Primary Election voters must declare a political party when voting. Why? Because the purpose of the Primary Election is for political parties to nominate candidates who will be on the General Election ballot for their party in November. Winning Primary candidates are nominated, not elected. There is a separate ballot for each political party in a Primary - a Democratic ballot and a Republican ballot - with each party’s ballot having only candidates from that party who are seeking to be nominated by their party for a specific office for the November election.

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 to move forward if it will be a vote-for-one race at the General Election, or two candidates if it will be a vote-for-two race at the General Election, such as the Allamakee County Board of Supervisors in 2026.

A voter must declare the one party’s ballot they want to vote. They cannot vote for some candidates on the Democratic ballot and also vote 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 is declaring the party ballot they wish to receive, and also the party that will be on their voter registration record.

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 declare which political party’s ballot they want to receive. 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. 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 election precinct laptop showing which party ballot all voters requested at the polls on Election Day and the Auditor’s office then 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.

A voter CAN change their party before Election Day
A voter does not have to wait to go to the polls to change their voter registration record to the party they wish to vote for at the polls. If a voter wishes to change their party before Election Day their new Voter Registration should be completed prior to the pre-registration deadline of May 18 at 5 p.m. This deadline ensures the change will be reflected in the voter registries at each polling place.

Can a voter 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 either the Republican or the Democratic ballot at the Primary. They can change to Democratic or Republican on Election Day. If a voter refuses to declare a party, they will not be eligible 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 the other 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/ or at https://allamakeecountyelections.iowa.gov/ (use the QR code accompanying this article), 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 17 who will be 18 on or before November 3 can vote in Primary
Allamakee County Auditor Denise Beyer wishes to remind anyone who is currently 17 years old and will turn 18 on or before the General Election November 3 of this year that they are eligible to vote in the June 2, 2026 Primary Election. For the smoothest process on Election Day, Beyer says it is best to register by the pre-registration deadline of May 18 at 5 p.m. Voting the first time can feel intimidating, so being registered before arriving at the polls can alleviate any anxiety about the process.

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. Allamakee County Auditor Denise Beyer warns against believing everything that is 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, including issues and topics that do not apply to Iowa elections. Use the County Auditor as a trusted source of all election information.