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UpdateIowaWednesday, October 28, 2026

Iowa Secretary of State said 2026 election will be secure

Reporting by
KIOW
“Iowa Elections are Secure Says Pate”, Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Read the full story
What happened

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate and the state's election security team gathered October 28 at the State Emergency Operation Center to assure Iowans that the 2026 General Election will be conducted securely.1

What it means in Iowa

What this means for Iowa voters

The Secretary of State is one of five members of the State Canvassing Board, which compiles the official abstract and certifies the results.2 The statewide canvass must be complete no later than 27 days after the election, November 30, and waits for any office in a recount.3

Key dates in Iowa

Election Day in 4 days
  1. Wed, Oct 14 · passed
    Early voting begins
  2. Mon, Oct 19 · passed
    Last day for mail ballot applications
  3. Tue, Nov 3 · 4 days
    Election Day; Registration deadline; Mail ballots must arrive
  4. Mon, Nov 16 · 17 days
    County/Local certification
  5. Mon, Nov 30 · 31 days
    State certification

Every date in Iowa, and who certifies the election

More on this story
Iowa · Oct 29
Iowa election officials assured voters of secure 2026 count
Reporting by KIMT News 3 (Mason City)
The answers behind this
Voting machines and election securityVoting in Iowa, 2026Who certifies the election in Iowa, and by when?What happens between Election Day and the swearing-in?

Explore this issue

OverviewUpdates In depthNearly 90% of absentee ballots in Iowa had been returned by late October In depthIowa law gives workers up to two hours off to vote with approval In depthDOJ official said 1,000 election monitors will be deployed for midterms In depthArizona Proposition 144 would change mail-in voting rules In depthJustice Department requested to send election monitors to Virginia In depthKalamazoo County opened four early voting sites through Sunday In depthAlabama reminded voters of Election Day rules on phones and selfies In depthAlabama county added eighth vehicle registration kiosk In depth933,000 mail ballots returned in Pennsylvania as of October 28 In depthFlorida directed voters to state site to check registration In depthOhio voters to decide on adding photo ID requirement to constitution In depthFlorida news program debunked 39 voting myths in October 2026

Sources

  1. KIOW, https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMickFVX3lxTE9YM2JvaTdodVlrUUZDRHJqRTZkdTFMQmozbTBlalEtMFlhT21zbHZRTVFZcVMxQ2tCMEdqb3NSaEg1VE9CbXlabXRPQmhhUXdSZHNlM3JZZEQ5SmUzUDlna0YyUkNGdXZoLWlwTmVrcUoydw?oc=5 · Wednesday, October 28, 2026
  2. Bolts, Who counts our elections, https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/who-counts-our-elections/
  3. NCSL, Canvass Deadlines, https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/canvass-deadlines

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