All Votes Count Iowa

09/05/2026

In memory of Dolly Parton. In 2023 Dolly gave this assessment about politicians to Jacob Soboroff: "I don’t think any of ‘em are trying hard enough. I’m sure we’re all trying, but I just really think often that they worry more about their party than they do about the people. If we just do what we felt was the right thing, rather than who’s going to lose, or who’s going to win this, or who’s going to look better if they do this. None of them are working from the heart.”

09/03/2026

Mail In Ballots - IA Capital Digest

Tuesday was officially 70 days before the Nov. 3 election, which means Iowans can begin submitting Absentee Ballot Request Forms to their local county auditor’s office in order to receive a mailed absentee ballot for the election. The deadline for submitting an absentee ballot request form is 5 p.m. Oct. 19 — 15 days before the election.

The written application doesn’t need to be notarized or witnessed, but must include information that verifies the voter’s identity, such as a person’s Iowa driver’s license or non-operator ID number, or the PIN number on an Iowa Voter ID Card.

Iowa county auditors can begin mailing out absentee ballots Oct. 14. The ballots must be received by the county auditor by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3, Election Day, in order to be counted. If a person is not able to return their absentee ballot to their county auditor’s office on Election Day, there are still options to vote — voters can surrender their voted absentee ballot at a polling location and cast a regular ballot, or vote using a provisional ballot if they cannot surrender the absentee ballot.

The process of beginning absentee ballot requests comes in 2026 one day after the U.S. Supreme Court issued an unsigned emergency docket opinion finding 23 Democratic-led states do not have standing to stop his executive order related to mail-in ballot processing by the U.S. Postal Service.

08/29/2026

We Love This!

08/27/2026

"The most meaningful struggles are long term". Peggy Noonan.

08/25/2026

Nearly 50 million Gen Z voters will be eligible in 2026. They are politically engaged, economically anxious, skeptical of both major parties, and eager for candidates and reforms that make them feel their voices matter.

08/22/2026

Why do we need to open primaries to independents?

“Democracy is powered by the will of the people—by their voices, their choices, and their participation. A democracy that excludes is no democracy at all.” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres

08/20/2026

Why Independent?
A recent survey from Unite America says the top three reasons voters choose to be independent is:

1. I prefer to assess each candidate individually rather than their party affiliation (70%)

2. I feel that the political parties are too influenced by corporate interests or lobbyists (69%)

3. I think for myself, independent of what parties and candidates tell me to think (68%)

08/15/2026

“The future of this republic is in the hands of the American voter.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower

08/13/2026

Are Fair and Free Elections in Doubt?

The upcoming midterm elections have attracted the most concern in the modern era over whether Americans can expect a free and fair election when they go to the polls.

Are the risks real?

Candidates in America's election system are partisan. The right of all citizens to vote is not. Our democracy relies on a fair, safe, and trusted electoral system. In an era in which the integrity of that system is in question, this session will help you move from fears to facts.

Please join us on Sept 10 for an informative discussion on the upcoming election. Everyone is invited.

Register here:

The upcoming midterm elections have attracted the most concern in the modern era over whether Americans can expect a free and fair election when they go to the polls. Are the risks real? Nate Persily, a Stanford Law Professor and one of the nation's foremost elections experts, has served as a specia...

08/11/2026

According to Newsweek, growing dissatisfaction with both major political parties is creating renewed interest in independent candidates. Former Senator Joe Manchin has launched the Independent Leadership Council to support candidates who promise to maintain an independent voice rather than form a new political party. The effort includes candidates in several states, including Michael Bridgford in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District.

The article also notes that a record 45 percent of Americans identified as independents in a January 2026 Gallup survey. That makes independent voters a powerful part of the electorate.