Left, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds speaks during Ashley Hinson’s BBQ Bash at the Linn County Fairgrounds Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. Right, Iowa Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deidre DeJear speaks at a town hall, hosted by the University of Iowa Democrats, at the Iowa Memorial Union on Monday, Sept. 26, 2022.
2022 Voter Guide
October 24, 2022
The 2022 general election features several national, state, and local offices up for grabs. With Congressional seats, the Governor’s office, the county Board of Supervisors, and much more on this ballot today, a lot is at stake on Election Day.
Navigate through our voter guide using the menu bar in the top right to find exactly what you’re looking for.
Whether this is your first time voting in an election or you are returning to the polls, The Daily Iowan has curated a guide to help voters know the ins and outs of voting in the 2022 election. Read it in print here.
Registering to Vote
Online: If you have a valid Iowa driver’s license or non-operator ID you can register to vote at the Iowa DOT website.
Physical forms: Johnson County residents can also register by mail by printing out a voter registration form and returning it to the office or mailing it in to Johnson County Auditor’s Office at 913 S. Dubuque St, Suite 101, Iowa City IA 52240. For residents who can’t print out the form, they can call the Johnson County Auditor’s office at 319-356-6004 and they will mail a form to them. Â
In-person: Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. residents can register at the Johnson County Auditor’s office.
Election day: At the polls voters can register right before casting their ballot if they bring ID and proof of address.
Different Ways You Can Vote
Information in this section is compiled from the Iowa Secretary of State website and the Johnson County Auditor’s website.
In-Person Voting
On Election Day, you can vote in person at your precinct polling location see precinct locations here. Due to redistricting, precinct locations may be different than previous years.
Map by Ryan Hansen/The Daily Iowan
To vote in person on Election Day, Nov. 8, voters are required to show a valid state issued identification card or driver’s license.
If you are pre-registered to vote it will make the time at the poll booth easier. If you are not registered to vote, see how to register to vote here.
The Approved forms of ID for pre-registered voters include:
- Iowa driver's license or non-operator ID
- S. passport
- Tribal ID card/document
- S. military or veteran ID
- Iowa voter ID card
If you are not registered to vote and your address has not changed since the last time you were issued an ID, you are also allowed to use the following forms of ID to register and vote on election day.
- Out-of-state driver's license or non-operator ID
- Employer-issued ID
- Student ID issued by an Iowa high school or college
If your address has changed then you will need to bring proof of residence to the polls, which includes a sign lease, utility bills, bank statement, or paycheck.
Margaret Kispert/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (right), a Republican, takes her turn speaking after her Democratic challenger Deidre DeJear Monday, Oct. 17, 2022, for a debate on Iowa PBS PBS studios in Johnston, Iowa
Iowa Governor
Gov. Kim Reynolds
Education: Bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University
Policy issues:
- Cutting taxes
- Protecting police officers and strengthening laws to punish protestors
- Limiting abortion
Age: 63
Hometown: Des Moines, Iowa
Family: Reynolds is married and has 3 daughters and 11 grandchildren
Deidre DeJear
Education: Drake University
Policy issues:
- Funding public schools
- Codify abortion rights in the state
- Reduce gun violence through increasing minimum age to buy assault rifle to 21 years
Age: 36
Hometown: Clinton, Iowa
Family:Â DeJear is married and has two children.
Polling Forecast:Â According to FiveThirtyEight, Reynolds holds a 15.9 percentage point lead over DeJear, as of the latest polling collected Oct. 20, 2022. Reynolds has 52.6 percent of the vote, while DeJear has 36.6 percent.
Iowa’s U.S. Senate Race
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley
Sen. Chuck Grassley is a Republican currently serving his 7th term in the U.S. Senate. At 89 years old, he is the second-oldest member of Congress. Before he became a U.S. Senator, he served as an Iowa State Representative from 1959 to 1974 and then served Iowa’s 3rd District in Congress. Sen. Grassley has been involved in politics for longer than Alaska has been a state! He was born on a farm in Butler County, and he continues to farm there today.
Education: Iowa State Teachers College (now University of Northern Iowa)
Key Policy Issues:Â
- Agriculture and rural development
- Border Security
- Crime, Justice, and Law Enforcement
Age: 89
Living: Washington, D.C.
Occupation: Pro Tempore Emeritus of the U.S. Senate and Senator
Family: Grassley is married and has five children.
Michael Franken
Mike Franken is a retired U.S. Navy admiral running against Grassley as a Democrat for one of Iowa’s senate seats in Congress. Previously, Franken ran for the Senate in 2020, but lost in the primary to Theresa Greenfield. This year’s general election falls on Franken’s 65th birthday.
Education: Naval Postgraduate Institute for physics
Policy Issues:Â
- Global Threats
- Enhancing the lives of older Iowans
- Agriculture and rural Iowa
Age: 64
Living: Lebanon, IA
Occupation: Retired United States Navy vice Admiral
Family: Franken is married and has one child.
Polling Forecast: According to FiveThirtyEight, Grassley is ahead in the race by 6.9 percentage points with 48.9 percent of the estimated vote and Franken with 41.9 percent, as of Oct. 21, 2022.
Iowa’s 1st Congressional District
U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks
Education: Texas Christian University, University of Southern California, University of Texas, San Antonio
Key Policy Issues:
- Making drug prices more affordable to Iowans
- Limiting abortion
- Protecting gun rights from government restrictions
Age: 67
Residence: Ottumwa, Iowa
Family: Miller-Meeks is married and has 2 children.
Christina Bohannon
Education: University of Florida Levin College of Law, College of Engineering
Occupation: Iowa state Representative, professor of law at the University of Iowa
Key Policy Issues:
- Protecting reproductive rights and a right to an abortion
- Making public education accessible
- Combating climate change while prioritizing Iowa’s farmer and Iowa’s renewable energy economy
Age: 51
Residence: Iowa City, Iowa
Family: Bohannon is married and has 1 daughter.
Democratic candidate Liz Mathis and U.S. Rep Ashley Hinson speaking at various political events on Sept. 3 and Aug. 28 respectively.
Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District
U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson
Education: University of Southern Carolina
Key Policy Issues:
- Lowering the cost of prescription drugs and making health care affordable for Iowans. Hinson also wants to make health care accessible for rural Iowans who often don’t have access to hospital care.
- Hinson is publicly anti-abortion, according to her campaign website. Hinson is a co-sponsor of The Life at Conception Act that would outlaw all abortions with no exceptions in cases of rape, incest, or risk to the life of the pregnant person.
- Hinson has campaigned on her perception of President Joe Biden’s handling of border security. Hinson has criticized Biden for an increase in migrants attempting to cross the U.S. border to seek asylum or possibly gain illegal entry into the country.
Age: 39 years old
Residence: Marion, Iowa
Occupation: Hinson is a U.S. Representative, but formerly worked as a reporter at the Cedar Rapids based ABC affiliate KCRG.
Family: Hinson has two sons and a husband who currently reside in Marion, Iowa.
Liz Mathis
Education: University of Iowa
Key Policy Issues:
- Mathis would like to see health care accessible and affordable for everyone and would accomplish this through public hospitals that will increase competition and choice and expand Medicare.
- Mathis would advocate for small businesses in Congress by “leveling the playing field” in Iowa by breaking up monopolistic tendencies in certain markets like agriculture that prevent small businesses from growing.
- If elected, Mathis would grow clean energy in Iowa and the U.S. Mathis would also support Biofuels that aim to make the fuel supply more renewable, protect the environment through regulations and environmental impact laws.
Age: 64 years old
Residence: Hiawatha, Iowa
Occupation: Mathis is an Iowa State Senator. Before, she was an anchor for KWWL, a Waterloo-based CBS affiliate TV news station, which had just opened its Cedar Rapids Bureau.
Family: Mathis is married to her husband, Mark Mathis.
Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District
U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne
Education: University of Iowa and Northwestern University.
Key Policy Issues:
- Agriculture
- College Affordability and skill training
- Environmental Conservation
Age: 57
Residence: Axne currently lives with her husband, John, and her two sons in West Des Moines, IA.
Family: Axne is married to her husband John and has two sons.
Zach Nunn
Occupation: Iowa state senator running for U.S. Congress, Iowa District 3
Education: Drake, Cambridge, Air War College
Key Policy Issues
- Protecting constitutional rights
- Strengthening Iowa’s economy
- Protecting life
Age: 43 years old.
Residence:Â Bondurant, Iowa
Family: Nunn has a wife and six kids, two of which are adopted.
Iowa’s 4th Congressional District
U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra
Education: Dordt University, Iowa State University
Key policy issues:
- Health
- International affairs
- Armed forces and national security
Age: 53
Residence: Hull, Iowa
Occupation: Current congressman, previously worked in business and as a public administration professor at Dordt University
Family: Feenstra is married and has four children
Ryan Melton
Education: Iowa State University, University of Kansas
Key Policy Issues:
- Lowering health care costs and prescription drug prices
- Child care
- Funding public schools
Age: 38
Living: Nevada, Iowa
Family: Melton is married and has 2 children.
Iowa Secretary of State
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate
Education: Kirkwood Community College
Key Policy Issues:
- Supporting voter ID laws
- Make voting accessible for active-duty military
- Reducing government bureaucracy for efficient processing for Iowa businesses
Age: 64
Residence: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Family: Pate is married and has three children.
Joel Miller
Education: Hawkeye Community College, University of the State of New York Regents College
Policy issues:
- Supporting open primaries
- Opposing increased restrictions on voting in legislature
- Increasing absentee drop boxes
Age: 67
Residence: Linn County, Iowa
Family: Miller is married and has 3 children and 9 grandchildren.
Iowa Attorney General
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller
Age: 78
Residence: Des Moines, Iowa
Education: Loras College
Key Policy Issues:Â
- Fighting against opioid manufacturers
- Leading the charge against consumer fraud and abuse
- Combating big tech
Family: Miller is married and has one child.
Brenna Bird
Age: Unknown
Residence: Dexter, Iowa
Education: Drake University , University of Chicago
Occupation: Attorney General for Guthrie County
Key Policy Issues:
- Litigating Against Biden Administration
- Back the Blue
- Defending Anti-Abortion Bills
Family: Bird is married and has a son.
Other Races
State Treasurer
Michael L. Fitzgerald
Age: 70
Education: University of Iowa
Key Policy Issues:
- Establish retirement programs for Iowans without pension or retirement benefits
- Return matured savings bonds to Iowans
Residence: Marshalltown, Iowa
Family: Fitzgerald is married and has 2 children.
Roby Smith
Age:Â 45
Education: Concordia University
Occupation: State legislator, District 47
Key Policy Issues:
- Improve financial literacy for teens and young adults
- Protect Iowan’s financial privacy
Residence: Davenport, Iowa
Family: Smith is married and has four children.
State Auditor
Iowa Auditor Rob Sand
Age: 40
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Brown University, Law degree from University of Iowa
Key Policy Issues:Â
- Non-partisanship
- Efficiency
- Accountability
Residence: Des Moines, IA
Occupation: Incumbent State Auditor, previously assistant Attorney General of Iowa
Family: Sand is married and has 2 children.
Name: Todd Halbur, Republican
Education: Bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa
Policy Issues:Â
- Integrity
- Accountability
- Openness
Age: 55
Hometown: Clive, IA
Occupation: Small business owner and licensed realtor
Family: Halbur is married and has two children.
Local State Senate Races
Dawn Driscoll
Running for reelection for State Senator in District 46, facing Kevin Kinney.
Education: Western Illinois University
Age: Unknown.
Key Policy Issues:
- Cut taxes.
- Increase support for family farmers.
- Uphold parental rights within their child’s education.
Occupation: Consultant at Hummer AgriBusiness Search, Inc.
Residence: Williamsburg, Iowa.
Family: Driscoll is married and has three children.
Kevin Kinney
Running for State Senator in District 46, facing Dawn Driscoll.
Education: Clear Creek/Amana High School
Age: 59
Key Policy Issues:
- Extend the civil statute of limitations for sexual abuse survivors.
- Create better paying jobs and economic opportunities in rural communities and throughout the state of Iowa by increasing funding and resources to educational systems.
- Advocate for dependable access to high-quality childcare for working families.
Occupation: Currently acting as an Iowa State Senator representing District 39. Retired from position as a Lieutenant in the Investigations Division of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office after serving for twenty-eight years in law enforcement in 2014. Owns and operates family’s Century Farm south of Oxford.
Residence: Oxford, Iowa
Family: Kinney is married and has two children.
Janice Weiner
Running for State Senator in District 45, facing Harold Weibrenner.
Education: Princeton University, A.B., Stanford Law School, J.D.
Age: 64
Key Policy Issues:
- Prioritize the funding of public education in Iowa by providing a five percent increase in funding to K-12 schools, restoring Chapter 20 collective bargaining rights for teachers and using the state’s surplus to expand free pre-K for four-year-olds.
- Advocate for abortion as a fundamental right.
- Overturn restrictions on absentee ballot voting and expand the window for early voting to make voting easier for Iowans.
Occupation: Currently serves as an at-large member of the Iowa City City Council, and is a former member of the U.S. Foreign Service Office.
Residence: Iowa City, IA
Family: Weiner has one child and on grandchild.
Zach Wahls
Running for State Senator in District 43, unopposed.
Education: University of Iowa (B.A.), Princeton (M.P.A.)
Age: 31
Key Policy Issues:
- Support Iowa’s working mothers and their children
- Support Iowa’s small businesses
- Public education funding
Occupation: Co-founder and executive director, Scouts for Equality. Currently serving as Treasurer on the Board of Directors. Co-founder of Wahls Enterprises LLC.
Residence: Coralville, Iowa
Family: Wahls is married.
Dave Jacoby
Running for State Representative in District 86, unopposed.
Education: University of Northern Iowa, B.A.
Age: 66
Key Policy Issues:
- Get Iowa to number one in education by increasing student participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) programs,
- Combat the “culture wars” dividing political parties
- Restore a system that will make voting accessible and safe for all citizens.
Occupation: STEM Outreach Coordinator at the University of Iowa, currently serves in the Iowa House of Representatives for District 74.
Residence: Coralville, Iowa
Family: Jacoby is married and has 2 children.
Adam Zabner
Running for State Representative in District 90, unopposed.
Education: University of Chicago
Age: 23
Key Policy Issues:
- Make public universities and community colleges tuition-free for students who commit to staying in Iowa after graduation
- Welcome immigrants with open arms
- Restore bargaining rights to strengthen Unions and raise the minimum wage and connect Iowa City to Chicago via Amtrak to spur economic growth
Residence: Iowa City, Iowa
Family: Unmarried.
Johnson County Board of Supervisors
Two seats available. Read our coverage of each candidate’s life leading up to politics by clicking on their names.
Jon Green
Education: Morningside University
Key Policy Issues:
- Using ARPA funds to help those most in need
- Build affordable communities
- Police reform
Age: 39
Residence: Lone Tree, Iowa
Occupation:Â Johnson County Supervisor
Family: Green lives with his partner, Eleanore.
Jammie Bradshaw
Education: Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
Key Policy Issues:
- Listening to the people
- Lowering taxes and government waste
- Serving the community, including by not raising her salary as Board of Supervisor
Age: 35
Residence: Lone Tree, Iowa
Occupation: Service Now Administrator, Quidel
Family: Bradshaw is married and has 4 children.
V Fixmer-Oraiz
Education: Durham Technical Community College, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Master’s at the University of Iowa
Key Policy Issues:
- Inclusive economic development
- Affordable housing
- Racial equity and LGBTQ+ inclusion
Age: 44
Residence: Iowa City, Iowa
Occupation: Founder and CEO of Astig Planning LLC
Family: Fixmer-Oraiz is married to their partner, Natalie, and they have 2 kids.
Phil Hemingway
Education: West Branch High School
Key Policy Issues:
- Rural representation
- Construction
- Spending, including ARPA money
Age: 62
Residence: West Liberty, Iowa
Occupation: Auto mechanic shop owner.
Eric Heick
Education: Bachelors in Agronomy and Seed Science
Age: 23
Residence: West Branch, Iowa
Occupation: Research associate, Syngenta