The mid-term election season has begun. A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate they believe should be a political party’s candidate for elected office to run in the general election. Processes and election dates are governed by each state and differ across the nation. The processes for states within the UnityPoint Health footprint are below in the order in which the primaries occur.
IOWA
How do primaries work in Iowa?
In Iowa, a voter must be affiliated with a party in order to participate in its primary. However, a voter can change his or her political party affiliation on Election Day.
How does one register to vote?
To vote in Iowa, one must be a United States citizen, a resident of Iowa, and at least 18 years old by Election Day. The deadline for pre-registration is 10 days prior to the election.
- Register to vote in Iowa here: https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterinformation/voterregistration.html
Find your Precinct/Polling Place: https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterreg/pollingplace/search.aspx
Primary Election Date: June 7, 2022
Polling Open/Close Times: 7a.m. – 8 p.m.
Early Voting: June 4, 2022 – June 6, 2022
Absentee Voting
- Mail Request Deadline: May 23, 2022
- Mail Return Deadline: June 7, 2022
ILLINOIS
How do primaries work in Illinois?
Illinois uses an open primary system. Voters do not have to register with a party, but they do have to choose, publicly, which party’s ballot they will vote on at the primary election.
How does one register to vote?
To register to vote in Illinois, one must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of an Illinois precinct for at least 30 days prior to election day, and at least 18 years old by election day.
- Register to vote in Illinois here: https://ova.elections.il.gov/
Find your Precinct/Polling Place: https://ova.elections.il.gov/PollingPlaceLookup.aspx
Primary Election Date: June 28, 2022
Polling Open/Close Times: 6a.m. – 7 p.m.
Early Voting: April 5, 2022 – May 2, 2022
Absentee Voting
- Mail Request Deadline: June 23, 2022
- Mail Return Deadline: June 28, 2022
WISCONSIN
How do primaries work in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin utilizes an open primary system; registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party’s primary.
How does one register to vote?
To register to vote in Wisconsin, one must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of Wisconsin for at least 28 days prior to the election, and at least 18 years of age.
- Register to vote in Wisconsin here: https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/Register-To-Vote
Find your Precinct/Polling Place: https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/Find-My-Polling-Place
Primary Election Date: August 9, 2022
Polling Open/Close Times: 7a.m. – 8 p.m.
Early Voting: July 26, 2022 – August 7, 2022
Absentee Voting
- Mail Request Deadline: August 4, 2022
- Mail Return Deadline: August 9, 2022
Information provided in this article was sourced from the following sites: