Iowa’s 2024 primary election will be held Tuesday, June 4, and early voting is already in progress. Polling places are open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m, where Iowans can also register to vote if they haven’t already done so. Iowa requires an ID to vote.
During a primary election, voters select who they believe should be a political party's candidate to run in the general election in November. This year, there are key races in Iowa's 1st, 3rd and 4th Congressional Districts.
Only voters registered with a party may participate in that party’s primary, but any voter may register or change party affiliation on the day of the primary. Depending on where a voter lives and which political party’s primary they’re voting in, Iowans can vote for candidates running for positions in Congress, the state legislature and county government.
Learn more about each district's race:
1st District
In Iowa's 1st District, incumbent Mariannette Miller-Meeks faces off against David Pautsch in the Republican primary. The winner of their race will challenge Democrat and former state Rep. Christina Bohannan in the general election.
It's the first time since Miller-Meeks won her seat in 2020 that she's facing a Republican challenger. Davenport's Pautsch is facing an "uphill" challenge in his bid. Pautsch is a social conservative who runs a marketing agency. He founded the Quad Cities Prayer Breakfast and leads Thy Kingdom Come Ministry in the Quad Cities.
He has attacked Miller-Meeks, saying her support for same-sex marriage and affirmation of the election of Joe Biden in 2020 puts her out of line with today's Republican Party.
Miller-Meeks has $1.7 million on hand. According to the most recent campaign finance filing, Pautsch had just $8,000.
2nd District
In Iowa's 2nd District, incumbent Ashley Hinson is running unopposed in the Republican primary, while Sarah Corkery does the same in the Democratic primary.
3rd District
Melissa Vine and Lanon Baccam are running to win Iowa’s 3rd District back for Democrats, but only one will make it past Tuesday’s primary. The winner will face Republican incumbent Rep. Zach Nunn.
Nunn flipped the district by a thin margin — just over 2,000 votes — two years ago.
4th District
The Republican primary for Iowa's 4th District pits political newcomer Kevin Virgil against incumbent Rep. Randy Feenstra.
The winner of their race will go up against Democrat Ryan Melton in November, who Feenstra defeated by almost 40 points in 2022.
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate says Iowans can trust the state’s election system, and he always likes to see “robust” turnout.
"But that is driven by the candidates and campaigns," he said. "You’ll see across the state, those areas where you have primaries that have generated a lot of interest, I think you’re going to have a higher turnout.”
The absentee ballot in-person deadline is June 3 and the absentee ballot receipt deadline is on Election Day. Read more about how to vote in Iowa, including information about polling places and accepted forms of ID.
