The Johnston Brief
Johnston votes through Polk County. Early voting opens Wed Oct 14 at the county election office in Des Moines, and the Johnston Public Library (6700 Merle Hay Rd) is an early-voting site Wednesday Oct 21 through Saturday Oct 24, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Good news on the ballot: every Johnston precinct has the same statehouse and county races, so you and your neighbors are voting on the same offices.
Voting in Johnston is straightforward once you know the four dates and the one ID rule. Here is how to register, how to vote early or by mail, what identification you need at the polls, and how to find your own polling place and sample ballot for the November 3, 2026 election.
To vote in the November 3, 2026 general election in Johnston, register by October 19, 2026 (or use same-day registration later with photo ID and proof of residence). Early in-person voting and mailed ballots both begin October 14, 2026 through the Polk County Election Office. On Election Day, polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. You will need an approved photo ID. Look up your polling place by address before you go; Johnston has eight precincts.
Early voting: Oct 14 to Nov 2 · Election Day Tue Nov 3
Every Johnston precinct has the same statehouse and county races: Iowa House District 43, no state Senate race and no supervisor race. The polling-place lookup shows your precinct; sample ballots are posted by precinct number.
Same-day registration is available when you vote early in person or on Election Day.
You have three ways to register:
The pre-registration deadline for the November election is October 19, 2026. Miss it and you can still register with same-day registration: bring an approved photo ID plus a document proving where you live (a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, or government document with your Johnston address works).
For the November 3 general election, early in-person voting begins October 14, 2026 at the Polk County Election Office, and mailed absentee ballots also start going out October 14. To vote by mail, your absentee request must be received by 5 p.m. on October 19, 2026. A completed mailed ballot must be received by the Auditor by 8 p.m. on Election Day, November 3. A postmark is not enough, so mail it early or drop it off.
Where and when to vote early. The main site is the Polk County Election Office, 2309 Euclid Ave, Des Moines, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from Oct 14 through Mon Nov 2, plus Saturday Oct 24 (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and Saturday Oct 31 (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.). One satellite site is in Johnston, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.:
Any Polk County voter can use any satellite site. The closest others: Grimes Public Library (Mon Oct 19) and Urbandale Public Library and the Northwest Community Center in Des Moines (both Wed Oct 21 to Sat Oct 24).
Iowa requires an approved photo ID to vote. Accepted IDs include an Iowa driver's license, an Iowa non-driver ID, a U.S. passport, a military or veteran ID, a tribal ID, or a free Iowa Voter ID card. One change to know: as of July 1, 2026, another registered voter can no longer vouch for you if you show up without ID. If you show up without an accepted ID, you cast a provisional ballot and then have to show ID before polls close on Election Day, or at the Auditor's office by noon the following Monday, for it to count.
Use the Iowa Secretary of State's polling place lookup (the one Polk County links to), which returns your precinct and Election Day location by address. Johnston has eight precincts, and every one of them has the same statehouse and county races: Iowa House District 43, no Iowa Senate race, and no county supervisor race. Polk County posts a sample ballot for each precinct on its voter information page, so you can see every office and question before you go. See what is on your 2026 ballot, and who represents Johnston now.
Johnston Election Day polling places (Tue Nov 3, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.):
Not sure of your precinct number? It is on your voter registration card, and the lookup above shows it. Voters in the township portions of precincts 3 and 6 also see two Webster Township offices.
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Register online through the Iowa Secretary of State, by mail to the Polk County Auditor, or in person. The pre-registration deadline for November 3, 2026 is October 19. After that, use same-day registration with a photo ID and proof of residence.
Oct. 14 to Nov. 2 at the Polk County Election Office, 2309 Euclid Ave, Des Moines (weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., plus Saturdays Oct. 24 and 31). In Johnston, the Johnston Public Library is open for early voting Wednesday Oct. 21 through Saturday Oct. 24, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mailed ballots go out starting Oct. 14; the absentee request deadline is 5 p.m. Oct. 19.
An approved photo ID: Iowa driver's license or non-driver ID, U.S. passport, military or veteran ID, tribal ID, or a free Iowa Voter ID card. Without one you cast a provisional ballot and must show ID afterward.
Look it up by address with the Iowa Secretary of State polling place lookup. Johnston's eight precincts vote at Johnston City Hall, St. James Lutheran Church, Stoney Creek Inn, First Baptist Church, Hilton Garden Inn and the Johnston Public Library; the full list by precinct is above.
Yes. Iowa has same-day registration when you vote early in person or on Election Day, with proof of identity and residence.