Primary elections for the 2018 mid-terms will be held on Tuesday. Elections will determine the candidates for governor, the US House of Representatives, the Iowa Secretary of State and the Iowa Secretary of Agriculture.

How to Vote

Tuesday’s election will be the first one in which Secretary of State Paul Pate’s “voter integrity” bill will be in effect. The bill, House File 516, was officially signed into law by Gov. Branstad shortly before he left his position in 2017.

Voters will now be required to present either their Iowa driver’s license, their Iowa non-operator identification, or their voter identification card at the polls. If a person’s current address does not match the address on their driver’s license, they will be required to present a residential lease, property tax statement, utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check, or other government document dated within forty-five days prior to election day.

If any person sees or suspects illegal activity at the polls, they are encouraged to fill out the Voter Hotline Form online or call 1-888-SOS-VOTE.

Where to Vote

Voting locations are assigned by precinct. There are 20 precincts in Ames and an additional 23 throughout Story County. 

A voter’s assigned precinct will be displayed on their voter identification card. The Secretary of State’s website also has a tool to help voters find their precinct and polling locations.

Polling locations will be open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Who’s on the Ballot

For Governor

On the Republican primary ballot, Gov. Kim Reynolds is unopposed.

There are six contenders on the democratic ballot. Sen. Nate Boulton’s name does appear on the ballot, however, Boulton withdrew from the race on May 24, following allegations of sexual misconduct.

The five remaining contenders on the ballot are Fred Hubbell, Cathy Glasson, John Norris, Andy McGuire, and Ross Wilburn.

The candidates all participated in a series of three debates on May 13, May 16, and May 30.

Fred Hubbell is a longtime businessman and advocate in the Des Moines community. In the past, he has served as Chairman of the Iowa Power Fund, interim director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development, Chairman of Younkers, President of the insurance company Equitable of Iowa, and on the board of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland. Hubbell’s platform focuses on education, healthcare, the environment, and workers’ rights.

Cathy Glasson is a union leader and former intensive care nurse. Throughout the race she has described herself as the “bold progressive” and a political outsider. Glasson’s campaign centers around implementing a universal healthcare system, raising Iowa’s minimum wage to $15 per hour, and increasing Iowa workers’ access to unions.

John Norris has served as the State Director of the Iowa Farm Unity Coalition, the Iowa Democratic Party chair, Gov. Vilsack’s Chief of Staff, Chair of the Iowa Utilities Board, Chief of Staff at the United States Department of Agriculture, a commissioner on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and as the United States representative to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Program. Norris has emphasized inclusivity in his campaign and focuses on what he calls basic Iowa values: love of the land, a sense of community, and public education as an opportunity equalizer.

Dr. Andy McGuire is politically most well known as former chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, but she often speaks to her experience as a medical doctor in her qualifications for governor. Throughout her campaign, McGuire has highlighted the need for reform in Iowa’s mental health care system. Her platform focuses on healthcare reform, strengthening schools, and creating well-paying jobs.

Former Iowa City Mayor Ross Wilburn has served the Director of Equity for the Iowa City Community School District and the Executive Director of the Crisis Center of Johnson County. He currently works at Iowa State University as the Diversity Officer and Assistant Program Director for Community and Economic Development for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Wilburn’s “Let’s be Iowa” campaign emphasizes the need for healthcare and education reform as well as a governor who keeps inclusivity in mind.

There are also two libertarians, Marco Battaglia of Des Moines and Jake Porter of Council Bluffs, running for governor. They held one debate in November of 2017.

Porter, former Executive Director of the Libertarian Party of Iowa, runs a campaign focused on three key issues: mass incarceration, corporate welfare, and fiscal irresponsibility. Within his first one hundred days, Porter promises to restore felons’ voting rights, form a committee to examine and eventually commute sentences for “any and all prisoners held only for victimless crimes such as marijuana possession,” begin forming a plan to phase out Iowa sales tax, and work with the legislature on an updated, comprehensive, medical cannabis bill.

Battaglia, a radio journalist and active member of the state and national libertarian parties, runs a campaign focused on medical, agricultural, and economic freedom. He sees these freedoms manifesting through the legalization of medical cannabis and hemp farming and a complete phase out of the state income tax. Battaglia’s campaign also puts a strong emphasis on the importance of mental health.

For U.S. House of Representatives Fourth District

Incumbent Rep. Steve King will face Dr. Cyndi Hanson of Sioux City on the republican side of the primary.

King, a Storm Lake native, has represented Iowa in Congress since 2002. He currently serves on the judiciary, agriculture, and small business committees. King has made waves in recent years as a proponent of immigration reform and as a pro-life advocate.

Hanson has run a campaign focused on what being an Iowan means. She has emphasized the importance of agriculture and fiscal responsibility as being necessary to Iowa’s success. She also believes it is “time to bring an end to career politicians.”  

Hanson states on her website, “Our current Representative has forgotten who he represents.”

There are three contenders on the democratic ballot: J.D. Scholten of Sioux City, John Paschen of Ames, and Leann Jacobsen of Spencer. All three candidates participated in a public forum held at Iowa State earlier this year.

Scholten, a former professional baseball player, lists three goals on his campaign website: create new opportunities for Iowa’s middle class, ensure access to healthcare for all Iowans, and put Iowa values back at the center of public service.

Dr. John Paschen has served as President of the Iowa Child Abuse Prevention and Education Council and is currently the Chairman of the Story County Board of Health. Paschen’s campaign focuses on setting partisan politics aside to unite Iowans as well as improving healthcare.

Jacobsen founded both Capitol Gains, an advocacy firm focused on business, economic development, arts & culture, and child welfare, and Iowa Women in Public Policy, an organization that encourages women to engage in public office. Jacobsen’s campaign emphasizes improving education, fighting for healthcare, saving natural resources, and bettering the economy by helping small businesses and the middle class.

For Iowa Secretary of State

Paul Pate, R-Des Moines, is currently serving his second term as Iowa’s Secretary of State. He is unopposed in the republican primary.

Competing in the democratic primary are Jim Mowrer and Deidre DeJear, both of Des Moines.

Mowrer, an Iraq war veteran and former leader of the Pentagon’s Army Office of Business Transformation, aims to keep Iowa’s electoral system open, free, fair, and secure.

On his website, Mowrer states, “We need a secretary of state who will put Iowans’ voting rights ahead of party politics.”

DeJear has founded three organizations in central Iowa: Caleo Enterprises, which provides entrepreneurs with marketing tools and business strategies, the Financial Capability Network, which provides low to middle income Iowans with financial management tools and skills, and Back 2 School Iowa, which connects corporations and communities to encourage youth to stay in school and think about their futures.

Dejear’s platform also alludes to new voter identification regulations, saying, “As Secretary of State, Deidre will ensure our voter process is secure, accessible and fair for ALL Iowans – meaning rural and urban, young and young-at-heart, those with disabilities, people with money and people without.”

For Iowa Secretary of Agriculture

Incumbent Mike Naig of Des Moines faces four challengers on the republican primary ballot for Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture.

Naig was appointed to the position in March when his predecessor, Bill Northey, was selected to serve as USDA Undersecretary. Prior to his appointment, Naig was served as Northey’s deputy secretary.

His opponents in the republican primary are Ray Gaesser of Corning, Chad Ingels of Randalia, Craig Lang of Brooklyn, and Sen. Dan Zumbach of Ryan.

Gaesser, originally from Indiana, has served as President of the Iowa Soybean Association and Chairman and President of the American Soybean Association. He runs a four point platform of maintaining stewardship while increasing profitability, open doors of trade, “long term policies and innovative practices,” and ensuring food safety without infringing on farmers’ rights.

Ingels is a fourth generation hog farmer from Fayette County who has also worked with ISU Extension and Outreach to improve water quality around the state. He has also served on the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission, the American Farm Bureau Water Advisory Committee, the West Central School Board, as the District Director for the Iowa Association of School Boards, and on the parent advisory committee for the National Commission for Social, Emotional, and Academic Development. The focus of Ingels’s goals as Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture would be working with Iowa farmers to ensure water quality.

Lang, a fifth generation farmer, has served as president of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation and of the Iowa Board of Regents. On his campaign website, alongside aspirations to bring together the public and private sector, rural and urban Iowans, and business and farm interests, Lang lists three clear goals: cleaner water, healthier soils, and a stronger rural economy.

Sen. Zumbach currently represents Iowa’s 48th district at the statehouse. He chairs the agriculture committee and serves on appropriations, commerce, legislative council, and transportation committees.

Democrat Tim Gannon of Des Moines is unopposed in his party’s primary.

Uncontested Primaries

Primaries are also being held for the Iowa Senate and the Iowa House of Representatives, and several additional state offices. However, none of the races in Ames districts will depend on primary outcomes.

Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, currently represents Senate District 23 and is running unchallenged in the primary. He will face libertarian Eric Cooper in November. There is no republican nominee for this office.

Incumbent Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames, who represents House District 45, is also unopposed in the primary. In the general election, she will face Ben Brown, R-Ames.

Rep. Lisa Evans, D-Ames, is the incumbent for House District 46 and will run unopposed in both the primary and general elections.

State Auditor Mary Mosiman, R-Ames, is the unopposed incumbent in her primary. She will face Rob Sand, D-Des Moines, in the general election.

Both incumbents, State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald, D-Waukee, and Attorney General Tom Miller, D-Des Moines, are running unopposed in both the primary and the general election.