Here’s what else is on the ballot in Iowa in 2024, besides President

It’s 2024, which means we’re voting for President this year. But there are other elected officials on the ballot in Iowa this year, too. Here’s who they are.

Everyone will see Presidential candidates on their ballot. That will include Democratic and Republican ones, as well as Libertarians, Greens, and a few others.

After that, you’ll be voting for your Congressional representative, your state senators and representatives, ballot measures, judges, and your county officials. But what your ballot looks like will depend on where you live.

US House

Those elected to the US House of Representatives across the country—all 435 seats—are elected to two-year terms. That means they’re up for election every two years, on even-numbered years.

Iowa’s four congressional districts are divided roughly into four quadrants of the state. Districts were changed as required after the 2020 Census, and maps were valid as of Jan. 1, 2023, agreed to in 2022 by the Iowa Legislature.

Districts are required to be roughly equal in population, which is why Iowa’s least-populated Fourth District is larger in size than Iowa’s Third (which includes the state’s most-populous city of Des Moines).

Iowa congressional districts as of 2023. (Created via Ballotpedia/Canva)

All districts are, as of now, represented by Republicans.

• The 1st District is represented by Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who is running for re-election against Democrat Christina Bohannan.
• The 2nd is represented by Rep. Ashley Hinson, running for re-election against Democrat Sarah Corkery.
• The 3rd is represented by Rep. Zach Nunn, running for re-election against Lanon Baccam.
• The 4th is represented by Rep. Randy Feenstra, running for re-election against Ryan Melton.

@iowastartingline Iowa is currently represented by all Republicans in Congress. Here are the 4 Democrats running against them this year. #news #politics #voting #iowa ♬ original sound – Iowa Starting Line

You will not be voting for US Senate this year. Senators, two of which represent their entire states, are elected to six-year terms. Unlike the House, when those terms are up for election is staggered by state.

• Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, who was re-elected in November of 2020, could be on the ballot again in 2026.
• Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, who was re-elected in November of 2022, could be on the ballot again in 2028—if he decides to run. (He would be 95 by November 2028.)

Iowa Senate and House

Iowa has 50 state senate districts and 100 state house districts—two state representatives for every one state senator.

Iowa House representatives are up for election every two years on even-numbered years. Senators serve four-year terms, with half up for election every two years.

That means everyone will see their Iowa House representative on the ballot in 2024, but only half of Iowans will see their senator on the ballot.

To find your Iowa House and Iowa Senate district, enter your address here, or click here to use an interactive map.

A map of Iowa’s legislative districts. (Legislative Services Agency)

Judges

In Iowa, we elect our judges. Kind of.

We don’t get to pick who they are; that’s done by either the state judicial nominating convention (in the case of Supreme Court and court of appeals justices) or the district judicial nominating convention (the rest). Nominees chosen by the conventions are forwarded to the governor’s office, who appoints one of three (for Supreme Court), one of five (for appeals), or one of two nominees (the rest) to serve.

In 2019, Gov. Kim Reynolds gave herself more power over those nominating conventions, which Democrats argue is bad for democracy.

Each justice serves a specified term, then appear on the ballot for retention. That means their name will appear, and voters get to choose “yes” or “no” to keep them on the bench. A simple majority of voters keeps the judge for another full term.

The Iowa Supreme Court consists of seven justices who serve staggered eight-year terms. The only Iowa Supreme Court Justice on the ballot in 2024 is David May, appointed by Reynolds, and everyone in the state will see him on their ballot.

The Iowa Court of Appeals consists of nine justices who serve staggered six-year terms. Four of them will be on the ballot in 2024—Tyler Buller, Mary Chicchelly, Samuel Langholz, and Mary Tabor. Buller, Chicchelly, and Langholz were all appointed by Reynolds. Tabor was appointed by Democratic Gov. Chet Culver in 2010.

But don’t overlook the importance of your vote to retain judges on the lower courts, which hear hundreds of thousands of cases every year. District court justices serve six-year terms. Here is a map showing which district you’re in, and here is a list of those judges up for election by district.

A map showing each district court in Iowa. (Iowa Judicial Branch)

Ballot measures

In Iowa, statewide ballot measures can only be brought by the Iowa Legislature, not its citizens, and are generally rare. However, this year, there will be two to choose from statewide:

• The first would change Iowa’s constitution from language saying that “every citizen of the US” can vote, to “only a citizen of the US” can vote. It would also allow 17-year-olds to vote in party primary elections, so long as they will be 18 by the general election.
• The second, called the Iowa Gubernatorial Succession Amendment, would specify that if an Iowa governor dies, resigns, or is otherwise removed from office, that the lieutenant governor would automatically assume that office and be empowered to pick a lieutenant governor to succeed them.

Iowans can, however, petition for ballot measures at the local level, and you may see one of those on your ballot, depending on where you live. In Waterloo, for instance, voters will see a measure on whether to spend $165 million to merge West, East, and Expo high schools into one high school located at Central, which would expand to take all the students.

County and township offices

Those offices that are sometimes decided by one vote are generally your local ones, making them extra important to pay attention to!

Each of Iowa’s 99 counties has a county auditor and a sheriff, both of which will be on your ballot in 2024. You’ll probably also see one or more county supervisors (they serve staggered terms generally).

And there will also be nonpartisan seats to choose from, including:

• County public hospital trustees
• Soil and water conservation district commissioners
• Agricultural extension council members
• Township officers

If there have been any vacancies in the past year, you’ll also see replacements there.

For more on the elected officials up for election, click here.