I join my fellow members of the National Association of Secretaries of State in bringing awareness to National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday. In doing so, I encourage all eligible Iowans to participate in our elections by registering to vote.
We are blessed to live in a nation which allows every voice to be heard. Through the process of voting, we choose our elected leaders to represent our voices and speak on our behalf as they govern and craft policies that affect our lives.
Voting is an important civic duty, and here in Iowa we don’t take our voting duty lightly. Iowa’s brand of retail politics allows us all to vet candidates well and cast informed votes regarding the issues and candidates before us. Iowans are consistently within the top 10 states for voter turnout and in the 2012 general election more than 81 percent of active registered voters cast a ballot, which is well above the national average.
On this year’s general election ballot Iowans will vote for federal officials like our representative in the U.S. House and one of our two U.S. senators. Iowans will also be voting for our governor and other state-wide elected officials, as well as whether to retain judges.
In Iowa it is easy to register to vote and cast a ballot. The Iowa Secretary of State’s office even provides a free app called Iowa SOS that is available for both Android and Apple devices to keep voting information at Iowans fingertips.
From the Iowa SOS app, Iowans can do the following:
· Check voter registration information
· Fill out the State of Iowa Official Voter Registration Form
· Find the correct polling place
· Request an absentee ballot
· Track an absentee ballot
· Set email or calendar reminders for upcoming elections
· Report voter fraud
· Contact local County Auditors
· Contact the Iowa Secretary of State’s office
Iowans can go to [ http://www.sos.iowa.gov ]www.sos.iowa.gov and download the [ http://sos.iowa.gov/elections/pdf/voteapp.pdf ]State of Iowa Official Voter Registration Form and return it to their [ http://sos.iowa.gov/elections/auditors/auditorslist.html ]county auditor's office. Iowans can also register to vote on Election Day using [ http://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterinformation/edr.html ]Election Day registration procedures.
We have made voter registration easy here in Iowa. It’s important to ensure that your voice is heard and not take this responsibility lightly. I encourage all eligible Iowans to get registered to vote today and cast a ballot in the general election on Nov. 4.