(Iowa Capital Dispatch) –  Today (Tuesday, Nov. 4th) is Election Day in Iowa for 2025 local elections. The Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. throughout the state. More information about local election candidates, ballot measures and results will be available on local county auditor’s websites. Find your county auditor using a list compiled by the Iowa State Association of County Auditors here.

Here’s what you should know about how to vote in the Tuesday elections.

Where do I vote?

Voters can find their precinct polling locations using the Iowa Secretary of State’s website.

Who can vote in Iowa?

In order to participate in Iowa elections, people must register to vote. A qualified voter in Iowa must be:

• An Iowa resident.
• A U.S. citizen.
• 18 years old by Election Day.

There are also restrictions on voting for certain individuals in Iowa. Voters cannot be:

• A convicted felon, unless their voting rights have been restored.
• Judged mentally incompetent to vote by a court.
• Claiming the right to vote in any other place.

A person who is eligible to vote but is not yet a registered voter has the option to register on Election Day at their precinct voting location. In order to register, a qualified voter must provide proof of identity using ID like an Iowa driver’s license, non-operator’s ID or U.S. passport, as well as proof of residence using documents like a residential lease, paycheck or utility bill listing their current address.

Check your voter registration status online here.

I’m registered to vote. What do I need to bring to the polls?

Voters who are already registered to vote still need to bring a form of identification with them to their polling place in order to participate. Accepted forms of identification include:

• Iowa driver’s license
• Iowa non-operator ID
• Out-of-state driver’s license or non-operator ID
• U.S. passport
• U.S. military or veteran ID
• ID card issued by employer
• Student ID issued by Iowa high school or college
• Tribal ID card/document

If a person does not have a valid ID when they go to vote, they are still allowed to cast a ballot if another registered voter at the precinct attests for their identity. Voters can also bring Election Day registration documents to confirm their identity. People who do not have accepted IDs or a person willing to attest for them can cast a provisional ballot. People who cast provisional ballots will have their voter registration record and related evidence reviewed by the absentee and special voters’ precinct board.

I have an absentee ballot that I haven’t returned. What should I do?

Iowans who have sent in their absentee ballots can track the ballot’s status on the Secretary of State’s website. But for people who have not yet returned their ballot, there’s still time to participate in this year’s election. Absentee ballots can be returned to a voter’s local county auditor’s office by 8 p.m. today (Election Day) in order to be valid. The ballots cannot be delivered to precinct polling locations.

If a voter cannot go themselves to return the ballot, Iowa has some restrictions on who can return it in their stead — voters can designate another person to return their absentee ballot if they are an immediate family member or member of the household. Voters with disabilities can also designate someone outside of these categories to return their ballot.

There are also options available for people who have requested — but not returned — absentee ballots to vote in person on Election Day. Voters can cast regular ballots if they bring in their absentee ballot to the precinct polling place and surrender it. If a person requested an absentee ballot but cannot return it, they are allowed to cast a provisional ballot.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A man wanted on a Pottawattamie County warrant for violation of the State’s Sex Offender Registry/1st offense [an Aggravated Misdemeanoor], was arrested early this (Tuesday) morning (Nov. 4th), in Red Oak. According to Red Oak Police, 53-year-old Tony Joe Hemiller was arrested at around 12:15-a.m., following a traffic stop at Highway 34/Avenue G, in Red Oak. He was arrested as part of a Pott. County Compliance Sweep and transported to the Montgomery County Jail. Hemiller’s bond was set at $2,000.

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department report the arrest Monday afternoon, of 29-year-old Carlos Ivan Cortez. The Creston man was arrested in the 1700 block of W. Townline Street, on a charge of Harassment in the 1st Degree. He was transported to the Union County Jail and held without bond until seen by a judge. Police in Creston Monday afternoon, also arrested 53-year-old Tammy Lynn Case, of Creston.

Case was arrested at the intersection of Mills and Pine Streets on an outstanding warrant for the original charges of Theft in the 1st Degree – Against an Older Individual (a loss amounting to more a $10,000), and Unauthorized Use of a Credit Card (over $10,000). She was transported to the Union County Jail for processing, then transferred and held at the Adams County Jail on a $35,000 cash or surety bond.

MUSCATINE CO., Iowa (KWQC) – A Minnesota man charged in a double murder was arrested in Muscatine County after a three-county chase on Sunday. Randy Zimmerman, 45, of rural Courtland, Minnesota, was arrested on suspected double murder after authorities stopped him in southeastern Iowa, said authorities in Brown County, Minnesota. He is accused of shooting 50-year-old Justin Reinarts and 32-year-old Tabitha Trescott in Hanska, Minnesota.

He was charged with second-degree murder on Monday. Only a grand jury can indict someone with first-degree murder in Minnesota. Louisa County Sheriff Brandon Marquardt said Zimmerman was seen in Washington County and deputies followed him into Louisa County.

Deputies chased Zimmerman into Muscatine County, Marquardt said, where a Louisa County deputy rammed into him. He then ran through a field, where he was taken into custody. He said Zimmerman fired at a Louisa County deputy and missed, so no one was injured. Zimmerman is in the Louisa County Jail, but Marquardt said Minnesota authorities were coming to speak with him and try to get more information.

(Radio Iowa) – The camp in eastern Iowa’s Jones County that’s enjoyed by nearly ten-thousand kids and adults with disabilities every year will soon be under new leadership. Monticello native Craig Stadtmueller is being named the new director and C-E-O of Camp Courageous in Monticello. Stadtmueller, who’s currently director of the Jones County Regional Center at Kirkwood Community College, calls the new position a dream come true. “I have the great fortune of coming from one great and exceptional organization to another,” Stadtmueller says. “One of the things in my life that I’ve always been looking for more opportunities is to work with individuals with disabilities. That’s always been something that’s been big on my wish list and on my heart.”

Stadtmueller grew up on a farm about seven miles from the camp, and he notes, his older sister, Kim, is a longtime camper at the facility. He says he’s long yearned to be able to better serve that community. Stadtmueller says, “I never anticipated it would be in this role, but this really is the culmination of a lot of hopes and dreams to be able to bring an impact to individuals and families with disabilities.” He’ll be replacing Charlie Becker, who’s served for 45 years as the camp’s C-E-O and director. Becker says he’s thrilled with the coming changes. “All this is just falling into perfect place like my whole life has, and I think the world of Craig Stadtmueller,” Becker says. “When I asked Craig to please apply because I thought so much of him, between having a a sister that’s a camper and his integrity and his whole family are just wonderful people. I just feel so good that he’s accepted the job.”

Under Becker’s leadership, the camp has grown from five buildings to 35, from 40 acres to 400, and from a few hundred campers to nearly ten-thousand every year. Stadtmueller will take over on January 5th.

(Radio Iowa) – Food banks across Iowa are seeing exceptionally high demand since SNAP payments temporarily ended this past weekend due to the federal government shutdown. Julia Nelson, with the Hamilton County Social Service office in Webster City, says people who are being impacted by the interruption in SNAP benefits should plan ahead for long lines at Iowa food pantries. “Yes, absolutely,” Nelson says. “We do have a lot of low-income people here in Hamilton County and that is a huge impact for those people.” According to the latest study from the group Feeding America, 12-percent of all Iowans and almost 17-percent of Iowa children face food insecurity. That translates to 385-thousand people who don’t know where they will find their next meal, including 120-thousand children. Nelson says the only avenue left for many SNAP recipients is to use community food pantries until the government reopens.

“Honestly, as of right now, I sadly believe that the only help that we can get right now is the food banks that we have around town here,” Nelson says, “which, luckily, we do have quite a few.” Ryan Bobst is the executive director of the North Liberty Community Food Pantry. “I think there’s a lot more neighbors that are seeking assistance now, in anticipation of the SNAP cuts going into effect because of the government shutdown, so now that they are experiencing that, we will see what this week brings,” he says. A woman who gave her first name — Chakia — but declined to give her full name was at the North Liberty Community Food Pantry yesterday (Monday). She had hoped the government shut down would end so she could get enough food to feed her four children, two of who have special needs.

“Of course that didn’t work out, so especially with Thanksgiving coming, it’s not ideal,” she said. The 63-thousand Iowans who receive Women, Infants and Children benefits have continued to receive payments during the shutdown, but the nearly 271-thousand Iowans who received SNAP benefits in September and October are affected. Federal data shows 14-point-four percent of the residents of Des Moines County in southeast Iowa received SNAP in September — the highest percentage of any Iowa county. The unemployment rate in Des Moines County — the Burlington area — was five-point-two percent in August.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A woman from Malvern was arrested Monday night in Red Oak, on a charge of Theft in the 5th Degree. Red Oak Police report 49-year-old Lisa Marie Elliott was arrested in the 1600 block of N. Broadway at around 9:50-p.m. She was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond. Red Oak Police were assisted in handling her arrest by the Mills County Sheriff’s Office.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The first November meeting of the Atlantic City Council is set to take place 5:30-p.m. Wed., Nov. 5th, in the Council’s Chambers inside the Atlantic City Hall. On their agenda is a Public Hearing on the Transfer and Sale of 3032 Birch Street, a property owned by the City. City Administrator John Lund says Randy C. Clark has submitted a bid for the property in the assessed amount of $5,600. No other bids have been received to-date. Clark has taken care of the property by mowing it since it was acquired by the City. Following the public hearing, the Council will move to adopt a Resolution executing the sale of the property.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will act on passing a Resolution “Authorizing Adoption of Amended and Restated Policies and Procedures regarding Municipal Securities Disclosure,” which the City’s Finance Attorney says needed to be updated to reflect laws that were changed in 2019, pertaining to Municipal Bonds.

The Council will also act to pass a Resolution “Assessing Unpaid Fees and Costs to Property Taxes,” with regard to billing for the cleanup of nuisance properties with garbage, junk, tall grass and weeds. The City will formally charge costs relating to the abatement of such nuisances in the same manner as assessed property, if fines and/or cleanup costs are not paid by the property owner after being informed of their responsibility to take care of their property.

City Administrator John Lund will discuss a request by the Atlantic Bottling Company to eliminate all parking on the east side of their plant at 2nd and Walnut, to make semi traffic safer and more efficient. The request includes removal of 11 parking stalls currently in existence on the east side of Walnut Street, north of 2nd.

Each monthly meeting focuses on a key health topic identified in the 2025 Cass County Community Health Needs Assessment and aligns with both the Cass County Community Health Improvement Plan and the Iowa State Health Improvement Plan. The alignment, officials say, ensures that Healthy Cass continues to address local health priorities while supporting statewide goals for a healthier Iowa.

Healthy Cass County logo

• November 10, 2025: Awareness of Community Resources — Rent, utilities, emergency relief, and other supports.
• December 8, 2025: Cass County Cancer Rates — Screenings, prevention, and survivorship.
• January 12, 2026: Community Health Improvement Plan Review — Learn about the 2025–2028 Cass County health priorities and get involved.
• February 9, 2026: Volunteerism Task Force Recap — Hear from the task force about efforts to strengthen volunteerism in Cass County.
• March 9, 2026: Food Equity — Making healthy food accessible for all.
• April 13, 2026: Family-Oriented Full Circle Resource Navigation — From crisis to careers: helping families reach stability.
• May 11, 2026: Senior Services — Redefining senior centers in rural Iowa.
• June 8, 2026: Substance Misuse Resources in Cass County — Local and regional resource awareness.
• July 13, 2026: Mental Wellness: Community Awareness & Resources.
• August 10, 2026: Local Food & Healthy Eating — Nutrition, access, and health promotion.
• September 14, 2026: Health Promotion through Collaboration — Building partnerships that strengthen Cass County’s well-being.
• October 12, 2026: No Meeting (Annual Planning Month).