Early In-Person
Vote at the Election Office
Voters wishing to cast a ballot early can come to the Polk County Election Office at 2309 Euclid Avenue in Des Moines. The office opens for early voting 20 days before Election Day, Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 4:30pm.
General Election (All voters in Polk County)
- First Day: October 14
- Office open Saturday October 24 (8a-4p)
- Office open Saturday October 31 (8a-5p)
- Last Day: November 2
We have all ballot styles available. The office also has accessible ballot marking devices.
Vote at a Satellite
Voters can petition for satellite voting locations throughout the county. Satellites function as an 'office away from the office,' with the same capabilities of our office in Des Moines for early voters.
The County Auditor will determines what precinct's ballots will be delivered to the satellite, but voters from any precinct may come to a satellite and vote their own ballot using a ballot marking device.
Information about satellite locations and hours will be posted here.
A satellite may be established by a petition signed by no less than 100 eligible electors of the jurisdiction. The petition form can be found here. The deadline for each type of election varies, see Iowa Code ยง53.11(2) here for each deadline.
What happens to my absentee ballot once I cast it?
Your ballot, in its affidavit envelope, will be stored securely until Election Day. Votes cast at our office are deposited directly into our fireproof ballot storage facility, where they are stored alongside mailed absentee ballots. Votes cast at a satellite are stored in the same tamper-evident ballot boxes used on Election Day. Ballots are collected and returned to the storage facility at the end of each day of satellite voting.
As with mail absentee ballots you can track the status on the Secretary of State's website.