Eligible electors may ask for a voter registration form by mail, but mail registrants may have to provide ID documents when voting, and some voters can cast provisional ballots if ID is not provided.
1. An eligible elector may request that a voter registration form be mailed to the elector. The completed form may be mailed or delivered by the registrant or the registrant’s designee to the commissioner in the county where the person resides or to the state commissioner of elections for a program participant, as provided in section 9E.6. A separate voter registration form shall be signed by each individual registrant. 2. An eligible elector who registers by mail and who has not previously voted in an election for federal office in the county of registration shall be required to provide identification documents when voting for the first time in the county, unless the registrant provided on the registration form the registrant’s Iowa driver’s license number, or the registrant’s Iowa nonoperator’s identification card number, or the last four numerals of the registrant’s social security number and the driver’s license, nonoperator’s identification, or partial social security number matches an existing state or federal identification record with the same number, name, and date of birth. If the registrant under this subsection votes in person at the polls, or by absentee ballot at the commissioner’s office or at a satellite voting station, the registrant shall provide a current and valid photo identification card and shall present, as proof of residence, to the appropriate election official one of the following current documents that shows the name and address of the registrant: a. Residential lease. b. Property tax statement. c. Utility bill. d. Bank statement. e. Paycheck. f. Government check. g. Other government document. 3. If the registrant under subsection 2 votes an absentee ballot by mail, the registrant shall provide a photocopy of one of the documents listed in subsection 2 when returning the absentee ballot. 4. A registrant under subsection 2 who is required to present identification when casting a ballot in person shall be permitted to vote a provisional ballot if the voter does not provide the required identification documents. If a voter who is required to present identification when casting a ballot votes an absentee ballot by mail, the ballot returned by the voter shall be considered a provisional ballot pursuant to sections 49.81 and 53.31. 94 Acts, ch 1169, §9; 2004 Acts, ch 1083, §6, 37; 2009 Acts, ch 57, §15; 2015 Acts, ch 96, §9, 17; 2017 Acts, ch 110, §17, 35, 36 Referred to in §9E.6, 48A.25A, 48A.37, 49.77, 49.81, 53.38