Clayton County Election Day Voters Guide
The Times-Register has put together an Election Day Voters Guide, informing Clayton County voters on the who, when, where and why of voting for the Nov. 3 general election.
When do I vote?
In-person voting for the general election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polling places will open at 7 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. Pre-registered voters are required to provide identification at the polling place. Voters who are not pre-registered must also provide proof of residence.
Oct. 24 was the final day to pre-register to vote and request a mailed absentee ballot. If you did not register to vote before then, you can still register on Election Day or if you vote absentee in-person at the Clayton County Auditor’s Office, located at 111 High St. NE, in Elkader. Absentee ballots can be mailed to the auditor’s office, hand delivered to the office or dropped in the official county drop box in the courthouse parking lot. Absentee ballots may be received no later than the close of polls on Election Day; ballots returned by mail and received after Election Day must be postmarked on or before Nov. 2 and received by Nov. 9 to be counted. Nov. 2 is also the final day for in-person absentee voting at the auditor’s office. Until then, the auditor’s office is open weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31. Follow the instructions next to the auditor’s window.
Where do I vote?
Boardman, Highland and Marion townships and the city of Elkader: Central State Bank Community Room, 200 N. Main St., Elkader
Buena Vista Township and the city of North Buena Vista: IC Parish Hall, Walnut Street, North Buena Vista
Cass and Lodomillo townships and the cities of Edgewood and Strawberry Point: Strawberry Point Civic Center, 401 Commercial St.
Cox Creek and Sperry townships and the city of Volga: St. Paul’s Fellowship Hall, 700 Washington St., Volga
Clayton, Garnavillo and Read townships and the cities of Clayton and Garnavillo: Garnavillo Community Building, 106 W. Niagara St.
Elk, Mallory and Volga townships and the cities of Elkport and Garber: Elkport-Garber Community Center, 120 Main St., Elkport
Farmersburg and Wagner townships and the cities of Farmersburg and Saint Olaf: Farmersburg Community Center, 4 E. Adams St.
Giard, Grand Meadow and Monona townships and the cities of Luana, Monona and Postville: Monona Community Center, 104 S. Egbert St.
Jefferson and Millville townships and the cities of Guttenberg and Osterdock: Guttenberg Municipal Building, 502 First St.
Mendon Township and the cities of Marquette and McGregor: Marquette Community Center, 102 North St.
Who's on the ballot?
President and Vice President
Republican incumbents Donald J. Trump and Michael R. Pence are running for a second, four-year term against Democrats Joseph R. Biden and Kamala D. Harris. There are seven third party options on the ballot as well.
U.S. Senator
Joni Ernst, a Republican first elected in 2014, hopes to keep her senate seat from going to Democrat Theresa Greenfield. Rick Stewart, with the Libertarian Party, and Suzanne Herzog round out the list of candidates.
U.S. Representative, District 1
Freshman Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer, a Democrat, is seeking a second, two-year term. She takes on Republican Ashley Hinson.
State Senator, District 28
Republican Mike Klimesh and Democrat Matt Tapscott are looking for the opportunity to represent the area in the Iowa State Senate. Michael Breitbach, who has held the office since 2013, is retiring.
State Representative, District 55
Incumbent Republican Michael Bergan will once again face Democratic challenger Kayla Koether, who he defeated by just nine votes two years ago.
State Representative, District 56
Republican Anne Osmundson and Democrat Angela Reed battle it out in this race. Osmundson was first elected to the seat in 2018.
Clayton County Board of Supervisors
Ray Peterson, the Republican incumbent, looks to retain his seat against Democrat Lester Simons. The winner will serve four years. Peterson was initially elected to the board in 2016.
Clayton County Auditor
Democrat Jennifer Garms is running unopposed for the position, which she was first elected to in 2016.
Clayton County Sheriff
Michael Tschirgi, a Republican, is seeking a fourth term as the county’s sheriff. He faces no challenger.
Clayton County Attorney
Republican Zach Herrmann is running unopposed to fill the remainder of the term for Clayton County Attorney, a post he was appointed to in 2019. The term goes another two years, then the position will be on the ballot again in 2022.
Township Trustee
Townships in the county are looking to fill one, or even two, of three total trustee seats in their respective areas. Trustees are responsible for directly providing or contracting fire protection and emergency services, maintaining cemeteries, enforcing fence regulations and other tasks as needed.
Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner
Six people—Gerry Ommen (incumbent), Tina Troester, Robert Sass, Peter Kerns, Mary E. Collins and Charlie Carroll—are vying for three open seats on the nonpartisan commission. Commissioners help guide and promote soil and water conservation programs in the county, develop and carry out plans and help direct financial incentive programs.
County Agricultural Extension Council
Voters will have the opportunity to elect four members of the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Clayton County Council. Five people—Emily Amundson, Julie Bergan, Aaron Hamann, Cindy Petsche and Ben Wikner—are on the ballot. Members make programming and budgeting decisions for ISU Extension and Outreach in Clayton County. They address local issues and, through partnerships, provide resources, research and education to assist Iowans.
Supreme Court
The terms for four of Iowa’s seven supreme court justices are up this year. Edward Mansfield, Christopher McDonald, Thomas Waterman and Susan Kay Christensen are looking for “yes” votes to serve for eight-year terms.
Court of Appeals
The Iowa Court of Appeals consists of nine judges and is the intermediate appellate court in the state. The court hears cases assigned to it by the Iowa Supreme Court and reviews appeals from the state trial courts. This year, voters will decide if judges David May, Julie A. Schumacher, Sharon Soorholtz Greer and Thomas N. Bower should be retained.
District Court
Iowa’s district courts are trial courts. Voters will determine if Alan Heavens will be retained as a judge, Stephanie C. Rattenborg and Mark Hostager as associate judges and Thomas J. Straka as an associate juvenile judge.
What's the constitutional convention measure on the ballot?
Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a proclamation, as required by state law, directing that the general election include a question whether to call a constitutional convention to propose amendments to the Iowa Constitution. Iowa’s Constitution requires that, every 10 years, the people of Iowa vote in the general election whether to call a convention. If a majority approves, the next general assembly would be required to enact a process for electing delegates to the convention and for submitting any constitutional amendments proposed by the convention for ratification by the people of Iowa.
If you have additional questions, please contact the Clayton County Auditor’s Office at (563) 245-1106 or visit www.claytoncountyia.gov.
Find a full list of election results on the North Iowa Times and Clayton County Register Facebook pages right away Tuesday night, Nov. 3. More coverage will follow in the Nov. 11 edition of the newspaper.
