Voter Registration
Absentee Voting
Voting In-Person
Voter Registration
To Register to vote in Iowa, you must be:
* A US Citizen
* A resident of Iowa
* At least 17 years old (must turn 18 by Election Day to vote)
You cannot vote in Iowa if you have been convicted of a felony (unless your rights have been restored), have been judged to be mentally incompetent to vote by a court, or claim the right to vote in another state.
You can now register to vote or update your voter registration online through the Iowa DOT if you have an Iowa Driver's License or state issued non-operator's identification!
You may download a voter registration form to complete and return to the Franklin County Auditor's Office in the Franklin County Courthouse at 12 1st Ave. NW, Hampton, Iowa.
You may also register to vote and vote on election day. To do so, you first must go to the correct polling place for your current address on election day. If you are unsure of your polling place, Find Your Precinct/Polling Place. Once at the polling place, you must prove both who you are and where you live. The best way to do this is with your valid Iowa driver's license with your current address printed on it. If you do not have an Iowa driver's license, you may use a photo ID that is current, valid, and contain an expiration date. The following are acceptable forms of ID:
* Iowa non-driver ID card
* Out of state driver's license or non-driver ID card
* US Passport
* US military ID
* ID card issued by your employer
* Student ID issued by Iowa high school or college
* Tribal ID
If your photo ID does not contain your current address, you may use another document to prove where you live if it contains your name and current address. The following documents are acceptable proofs of residence:
* Residential Lease
* Utility Bill (Including a Cell Phone Bill)
* Bank Statement
* Paycheck
* Government Check or Other Government Document
If you cannot prove who you are and where you live with the documents listed above, a registered voter from your precinct may attest for you. Both you and the attester will be required to sign an oath swearing the statements being made are true. Attesters must provide proper identification for themselves in order to attest to another voter's identification.
Falsely attesting or being attested for is registration fraud. It is a class "D" felony and is punishable by a find up to $7,500 and up to 5 years in prison.
Absentee Voting
There are several ways to vote absentee:
* To vote absentee by mail, you must complete a request form. You may contact the Auditor's Office to request that a form be sent to you.
- When filling out the form, please be sure to include the date the request is signed.
- Once completed, please return the form to the Franklin County Auditor's Office, 12 1st Ave. NW, PO Box 25, Hampton, Iowa 50441.
- Printable absentee ballot request forms are also available from the Secretary of States website.
- To be sent an absentee ballot by mail, the Auditor's Office MUST receive your Absentee Ballot Request form by 5PM on the Monday 15 days before the Election.
* In-Person Absentee Voting is available in the Auditor's Office during regular business hours (8AM-4PM). The deadline for in-person absentee voting is 5PM the
Monday before the election
Absentee ballots must be returned by mail or hand-delivered to the Auditor's Office by 8PM on Election Day.
Instructions on how to vote your absentee ballot will be included with your ballot.
Voting in Person
There are three ways to vote:
- Vote Early - vote at the Franklin County Auditor's Office starting 20 days before the election
- Vote by Mail - you may request an absentee ballot to be mailed to you
- Vote on Election Day - the only way to vote on Election Day is by casting your vote at your assigned polling place. - Polling Places for ALL Elections are open 7AM-8PM - Find your polling place HERE!