Good morning from Iowa Capital Dispatch.
“We have this contrasting view of the electorate, where they say they believe deeply in core democratic values, but they are very worried about the state of American democracy.” — Peter Hanson, Grinnell political science professor and director of the Grinnell College Poll, which showed an increase in Americans’ confidence in the integrity of vote counting.
A table hosted "I voted" stickers for voters to pick up after casting their ballots at the Polk County Election Office in Des Moines on the first day of early voting, Oct. 14, 2026. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Voters in Iowa will get to cast their ballots Tuesday for statewide and federal offices, as well as have the chance to weigh in on a proposed amendment to the state constitution and whether to retain certain judges.
Here’s what you need to know to cast your ballots.
A family swims in the Raccoon River where it flows through Walnut Woods State Park in West Des Moines in October 2025. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Funding a trust to support Iowa’s natural resources and water has come up repeatedly on the campaign trail ahead of Tuesday’s elections, but some counties have successfully initiated bond referendums to support projects locally.
On Tuesday, Dubuque County voters will be asked to approve an $18 million dollar bond to invest in the county’s natural resources, parks, trails and water quality.
More Americans are confident in the integrity of vote counts for the midterm elections than in past election cycles, according to a poll authored by Grinnell College students and faculty.
The ACLU of Iowa has won a preliminary injunction that clears the way for The Satanic Temple to stage a holiday event next month in the Iowa Capitol rotunda.
An Iowa man criminally charged with running an unlicensed hospital in a rural area of Appanoose County is alleging in court that as “a living man” he is not under the jurisdiction of the state’s licensing boards.
Des Moines University is expanding its partnership with another health sciences institution to provide a path to further education to students pursuing a healthcare career.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, mere hours before Election Day in the midterms that will determine control of Congress, denied the Trump administration’s final attempt to force California to set aside the ballots of 20,000 people it suspects are noncitizens.
One day before his party is forecast to lose control of the U.S. House, and possibly the Senate, President Donald Trump gathered guests and press at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to tout the “magnificent” renovation of the monument — a monthslong project plagued by algae, reclosure and false accusations of vandalism.
American democracy faces one of its biggest stress tests of the modern era, as President Donald Trump’s sprawling campaign for power over elections encounters a firewall of judges, state election workers and voting rights leaders heading into Election Day.
As concerns rise about the potential for federal influence over the results of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, many voting experts and advocates remain confident that the nation’s highly localized systems of administering and counting votes will persevere.
COMMENTARY
Like the mighty Mississippi River, America’s issues will still be here on a November morning two years from now, guest columnist Dave Nagle writes.
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Potential of Missouri River pipelines to Western states opens new front in upstream-downstream fight
COMMENTARY
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