With Republicans Gov. Kim Reynolds and Sen. Joni Ernst not seeking reelection, Iowa has open races for governor and the U.S. senate for the first time since 1968.

Iowa State University political science professor Karen Kedrowski said it’s rare in Iowa because governors have no term limits and Tom Harkin served in the U.S. Senate for 30 years, while Sen. Chuck Grassley has been a U.S. senator since 1981.

“Having both a Senate race and a gubernatorial race open on the ballot is much more common in other states and it certainly does help drive up voter turnout,” Kedrowski said.

Incumbents typically have a huge advantage in elections. In 2024, 94% of incumbents won, but Kedrowski said it’s likely Ernst saw that in 2026 she would face serious headwinds in a bid to win a third term.

In the Senate race, Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson and Democratic lawmaker Josh Turek are vying for the open seat. Libertarian Thomas Laehn is also on the ballot.

Democratic State auditor Rob Sand and Republican Zach Lahn are competing to be Iowa’s next governor.

Read more.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate dismissed concerns about federal authorities seizing ballots or voting machines at a briefing on Oct. 28. He said Iowa controls its elections and has established procedures for resolving close results.

His comments come as some election officials prepare for possible Trump administration interference in the midterm elections, including scenarios involving federal agents at polling places and challenges to election results.

Speaking alongside state and federal security partners at the State Emergency Operations Center in Johnston, Pate declined to outline a response to a hypothetical military seizure of election materials in Polk County.

“That scenario is so abstract that I'm not even going to justify it with a good answer,” Pate said. “We run our elections in Iowa. The Constitution says that we run the elections in Iowa. We have a track record of how we run our elections, and if it's a close election and there's a recount, we have a procedure that's very clear on how we will do that."

He argued that speculation about federal intervention could discourage voters from participating.

Read more on Iowa’s election safeguards.

Democratic State Auditor Rob Sand and Republican businessman Zach Lahn are running to replace Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is not seeking reelection.

The statewide contest has drawn money and support from politicians on both sides. KentuckyGov. Andy Beshear and former Secretary of TransportationPete Buttigieg are among the high-profile Democrats who have traveled to the state in support of Sand. Earlier this October President Donald Trump held arally in Sioux City, where he threw his support behind Lahn.

A Marist Poll released Oct. 15 found Sand had 52% support among likely voters, compared with Lahn’s 45%. The survey, conducted Oct. 8 through 11, had a margin of error of plus or minus 6.6 percentage points. The Cook Political Report has ranked the race as "lean Democrat."

The contest is bringing different closing messages into focus. Sand is pitching bipartisan leadership and urging supporters to get voters to the polls. Lahn is leaning on the Make America Healthy Again movement that helped propel him past Trump-backed Rep. Randy Feenstra in the Republican primary.

Read more on the closing arguments of both candidates.

Tuesday, Nov. 3 is election day and polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Iowans can register to vote or make changes to their voter registration at their early voting site or at their polling place.

All voters need to show an accepted ID to vote. For most people, that’s an Iowa driver’s license or state ID. Voters who moved recently or need to register to vote may also need to show proof of residence, such as a utility bill.

If you are voting by mail, your ballot must be received by your county auditor by 8 p.m. today, when polls close. Check the absentee ballot tracker to make sure it was received.

Find more information about voting in Iowa.