How to vote in primaries

Abigail Barefoot

What: No one is elected in a primary election, instead candidates are nominated to run in the general election held in November. In order to win a political party nomination, the candidate must receive more votes than anyone else in their party for that race and receive at least 35 percent of the votes cast for that office by members of their political party.

The difference between primary elections and other elections is that a voter’s party affiliation must be declared.

What offices are on the ballot for 2010: In the federal offices the positions are senator and representatives.

At the State Offices: governor, secretary of state, auditor of state, treasurer of state, secretary of agriculture, attorney general, state senator and state representative.

In County Offices: board of supervisors, county attorney, county recorder and county treasurer.

Where: There are 43 places to vote in Story County, and three of the places are on campus: Hawthorn Cafe, at Frederiksen Court; Union Drive Community Center, room 136; and Maple Hall, room M01B.  

Polling Locations will be open from 7 a.m. – 9 p.m.

What you will need to bring: If you are registering to vote the same day as the primaries, you will need to show proof of identity and residence. The best form is to use a valid Iowa driver’s license with current address. If you don’t have an updated license, you can use your ISU ID as proof of identity and either a utility bill, paycheck or bank statement for proof of residence.

College students have option of registering to vote in their hometown or in their college town. Students cannot register to vote in both their hometown and in their college town.