Iowa State and Local Government

The Green Papers: State and Local Government

Iowa

Governor:	1	(Term Limit: None; 4-year term)
Senators:	2	(Electoral Classes 2 and 3)
2000 Representatives:	5	(1.15% of 435)
2002 Representatives:	5	(1.15% of 435)
2004 Electors:	7	(1.30% of 538)
1990 Census:	2,776,831	(1.12% of 248,765,170)
2000 Census:	2,931,923	(1.04% of 281,998,273)
Registered Voters (2000):	1,841,346
Estimated Voting age population (2000):	2,165,000
Capital:	Des Moines

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States Alphabetically Current Iowa Statewide Office Holders


Official Name/Status All States
	The STATE of Iowa
	Organized as a Territory: 12 June 1838. 5 Stat. 235: effective, 3 July 1838; previously, part of Wisconsin Territory
	Admitted to the Union as a State: 28 December 1846 by an Act of Congress (9 Stat. 117)
	The 29th state.


Traditional Sections and Regions All States
	Section: MIDWEST
	Region: Great Plains
	Survey: Public Domain

Constitutions All States Links to State Constitutions

Enabling Act (of the Congress of the United States): 3 March 1845 [5 Stat. 742: authorizing formation of a State government alone]

• 1st (1846-1857) [Adopted: 18 May 1846 Convention convened, 4 May 1846, Ratified: 3 August 1846 ratified by vote of 9,492 to 9,036; effective upon Admission, 28 December 1846]

• 2nd (1857--) [Adopted: 5 March 1857 Convention convened, 19 January 1857, Ratified: 3 August 1857 ratified by vote of 40,311 to 38,681]

Executive Branch All States

Chief Executive
	• GOVERNOR
Successor to a Vacancy
	• Lieutenant Governor [elected separately from GOVERNOR]

Major Executive Officers Elected Statewide All States 2008 Office holders
	• Governor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006. Term Limit: None
	• Lieutenant Governor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006. Elected on a ticket with Governor.
	• Secretary of State: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006
	• Attorney General: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006
	• Treasurer: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006
	• Auditor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006
	• Secretary of Agriculture and Land Stewardship: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006

Legislative Branch All States

Legislature
	• GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Upper House
	• Senate
Lower House
	• House of Representatives

Judicial Branch All States

Court of Last Resort
	• Supreme Court
Intermediate Appellate Court
	• Court of Appeals

Local Government


PRIMARY CIVIL DIVISION All States
	• County [Type: Strong, Executive and Legislative: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS]
	MINOR CIVIL DIVISION All States
		• township [Type: Vestigial, Executive and Legislative: Board of Trustees]

Incorporated Municipalities All States

Localities
	• Iowa Civil Divisions and Municipalities


Key Statewide / Federal Officials All States
	Iowa Officials

Statutory Election Information All States

General Election All States
	• 39.1 General election. The general election shall be held throughout the state on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of each even-numbered year. [Merged Iowa Code & Supplement]
Presidential Primary All States
	• (for Political party precinct caucuses -Ed) Delegates to county conventions of political parties and party committee members shall be elected at precinct caucuses held not later than the fourth Monday in February of each even-numbered year. The date shall be at least eight days earlier than the scheduled date for any meeting, caucus or primary which constitutes the first determining stage of the presidential nominating process in any other state, territory or any other group which has the authority to select delegates in the presidential nomination. [Merged Iowa Code & Supplement 43.4]
State Primary All States
	• The primary election by all political parties shall be held ... on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June in each even-numbered year. [Merged Iowa Code & Supplement 43.7]
Polling times All States
	• 49.73 Time of opening and closing polls. 1. At all elections, except as otherwise permitted by this section, the polls shall be opened at seven o'clock a.m., or as soon thereafter as vacancies on the precinct election board have been filled. On the basis of voter turnout for recent similar elections and factors considered likely to so affect voter turnout for the forthcoming election as to justify shortened voting hours for that election, the commissioner may direct that the polls be opened at twelve o'clock noon for .... 2. The polling places shall be closed at nine o'clock p.m. for state primary and general elections and other partisan elections, and for any other election held concurrently therewith, and at eight o'clock p.m. for all other elections. [Merged Iowa Code & Supplement]

Links Links to other web sites

Constitution
	• 1857 CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF IOWA
Election Authority
	• Iowa Secretary of State
Legislature
	• Iowa General Assembly
Democratic
	• Iowa Democratic Party
	• Iowa First Caucus - Your information source for the 2008 Iowa Caucuses)
	• Iowa House Democrats
	• Iowa Senate Democrats
Republican
	• Iowa Senate Republican Caucus
	• Republican Party of Iowa
Third Party
	• Constitution Party of Iowa
	• Constitution Party of Iowa
	• Iowa Green Party
	• Iowa Right to Life Committee
	• Libertarian Party of Iowa
	• One Earth Party
Media & others
	• Blog for Iowa
	• DC's Political Report - Iowa
	• Dubuque Telegraph Herald
	• Fort Madison Daily Democrat
	• Globe Gazette - Mason City
	• Iowa Caucuses 2008
	• Iowa City Press-Citizen
	• Iowa Farmer Today
	• Iowa Independent
	• Iowa Politics - West Des Moines
	• Iowa Press - Iowa Public Television
	• Iowa Public Television - Johnston
	• Kalona News
	• KCAU TV - ABC - Sioux City
	• KCCI TV - CBS - TheIowaChannel - Des Moines
	• KCRG TV - ABC - Cedar Rapids - Iowa City - Dubuque
	• KDSM TV - FOX - Des Moines
	• KLJB TV - Fox - Davenport
	• KMEG TV - CBS - Sioux City
	• Politics1.com - Iowa
	• Quad-Cities - Dispatch/Argus/Leader - Moline - Rock Island - Davenport
	• Quad-City Times
	• Radio Iowa
	• Sioux City Journal
	• The Bloomfield Democrat
	• The Daily Nonpareil - Council Bluffs
	• The Des Moines Register
	• The Gazette - Cedar Rapids
	• The Humboldt Independent
	• The Waterloo Cedar-Falls Courier
	• WHO TV - NBC - Des Moines