Midterm elections to be held Tuesday; many contested races at National, State and County levels

Midterm elections will be held next Tuesday, November 6. During the election voters will be asked to show proof of identification (ID) before voting. Accepted forms of ID are a valid driver’s license, non-operator ID, Military ID, Passport, Tribal ID, Veteran’s ID or Voter ID Card. Anyone not having an approved ID, will be required to sign an oath verifying your identity.
In future elections, however, those without the proper ID will be offered a provisional ballot and then be required to show an ID prior to the county canvas.

Polling places remain the same as they have been for the past several years. Polling places in Allamakee County are as follows:

Pct 1-St Mary’s Church, Dorchester - Waterloo and Hanover Twps; Pct 2-Waukon Banquet Center - French Creek Twp, Jefferson Twp (except portion lying West of Hwy 76, East of 9th St SW and North of Hwy 9), Ludlow Twp (except portion lying South of North Line Dr, North of Hwy 9 and East of Bluebird Lane), Makee Twp, Union Prairie Twp (except portion lying North of Old Hwy 9/A52, South of Prairie Dr and Prairie Ave, and East of Old Stage Rd/W60); Pct 3 and 4-Memorial (Turner) Hall – Franklin and Post Twps and City of Postville; Pct 5-Waterville Library/History Room -  Linton and Paint Creek Twps and City of Waterville; Pct 6-Harpers Ferry Community Center – Fairview and Taylor Twps and City of Harpers Ferry; Pct 7-KBSB Community Center –Center, Lafayette and Lansing Twps and City of Lansing; Pct 8-New Albin Community Center – Iowa and Union City Twps and City of New Albin; Pct 9-NICC Center - Waukon Ward 1; Pct 10-St John’s Church - Waukon Ward 2 and Portion of Jefferson Twp lying West of Hwy 76, East of 9th St SW and North of Hwy 9, and Portion of Ludlow Twp lying South of North Line Dr, North of Hyw 9 and East of Bluebird Lane; Pct 11-Allamakee Co Courthouse - Waukon Ward 3 and Portion of Union Prairie Twp lying North of Old Hwy 9 (A52), South of Prairie Dr and Prairie Ave, and East of Old Stage Rd (W60).

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.at all polling places.

Absentee Voting

In person absentee voting is available at the Allamakee County Auditor’s Office through 4:00 p.m. on Monday, November 5. Regular office hours are Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. To request an absentee ballot by mail, use the official form available at the Allamakee County Auditor’s Office or at the Secretary of State’s website, www.sos.iowa.gov  and mail it to Allamakee County Commissioner of Elections, 110 Allamakee St, Waukon, IA 52172.  

Those Seeking Election

United States Congress

District I, Representative

Rod Blum, Republican incumbent, is in his third term. Blum is a Dubuque Native and has also served as a CEO of a software company for ten years.

Abby Finkenauer, Democrat, has served in the Iowa House and is seeking her first term in congress. Her home is in rural Dubuque, County.

Troy Hageman, a Libertarian, is seeking his first term in congress as well. A newbie to the political scene, Hageman has not served political office previously.

Iowa Governor

Fred Hubbell, a Democrat, is a businessman from Des Moines as well as an attorney. Having served as acting director of the Department of Economic Justice under Governor Chet Culver, Hubbell has never held political office.

Kim Reynolds, a Republican, was appointed the Iowa Governor when Governor Terry Branstad was appointed Ambassador to China. She was the state Lt. Governor for six years and previously served as the Clarke County Treasurer. She is currently serving as the state’s first female governor.

Jake Porter, a Libertarian, is a Missouri native. His current home is in Des Moines. He has run on the Libertarian ticket twice for Iowa Secretary of State.

Also on the ballot is Gary Siegwarth whose party affiliation is the Clear Water Party of Iowa. Siegwarth is a Clayton County resident and fisheries biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. He has not held public office in the past.

Secretary of State

Candidates are Deidre DeJear, Democrat, of Des Moines. Paul D. Pate, Republican,  incumbent, is seeking his this third term as Secretary of State. He is a Linn County native. The Libertarian on the ballot is Jules Ofenbakh. She is a West Des Moines attorney.

State Auditor

Mary Mosiman, a Republican, is seeking her second term as auditor. She also served for ten years as the Story County Auditor.

Rob Sand, a Democrat, is seeking his first term. A Decorah native, Sand has served as the state’s assistant attorney general.

Fred Perryman, a Libertarian, is from Cedar Falls. This is his first time running for public office.

State Treasurer

Jeremy Davis, Republican, is seeking his first term as State Treasurer. He has served on the Ames City Council.

Mike Fitzgerald, Democrat, is the incumbent and is seeking his tenth term as State Treasurer. He has served in the position since 1982.

Timothy Herd, Libertarian, is an engineer from Des Moines. This is the second time he has run for State Treasurer.

Secretary of Agriculture

Tim Gannon, Democrat, is a farmer in Jasper County. He previously worked with former Governor Tom Vilsack.

Mike Naig, Republican, was appointed as Secretary of Agriculture by Governor Reynolds. He is a Northwest Iowa native who has spent his entire career in agriculture.

Rick Stewart, Libertarian, is a Postville native who lives in Cedar Rapids. He has run his own business for over two decades.

Attorney General

Tom Miller, Democrat, is the incumbent seeking his eleventh term as Attorney General. He was first elected in 1974.

Marco Battaglia, Libertarian, is from Des Moines. A journalist, Battaglia has not served in public office previously.

State Representative

 District 56

Lori Egan, Democrat, is an Allamakee County native. She has worked in health care and volunteers with several organizations including Red Cross and 4-H.

Anne Osmundson, Republican, is also seeking her first term. She is a Clayton County Native as she lives on a farm near Volga. She served as a clerk for District 56 Representative Kristi Hager for the past two years.

Allamakee County Supervisors

Vote for no more than two, Daniel Byrnes, Democrat, incumbent.

Larry Schellhammer, Republican, incumbent.

Kristi Hager, Republican, seeking her first term on the Board of Supervisors having previously served in the Iowa House of Representatives.

For more information you may log on to the Allamakee County elections website at http://allamakeecountyia.gov or telephone the Allamakee County Auditor’s office at (563) 568-3522.