Your ballot, explained.

Heard this? Here are the facts

Each claim gets a plain status: True, False, or Promised, not law.

• Heard this? "In Iowa you can vote without showing ID." False
  The facts: At the polls you must show an Iowa driver's license or non-operator ID, U.S. passport, U.S. military or veteran ID, tribal ID, or Iowa Voter ID card. If you have none, you can vote a provisional ballot and show ID before the county canvass. Registered voters without a driver's license get a free Voter ID card in the mail. source: sos.iowa.gov
• Heard this? "If you miss the registration deadline, you cannot vote in Iowa." False
  The facts: Pre-registration closes 15 days before the election (October 19, 2026), but you can register at your polling place on Election Day if you bring ID and proof of where you live, like a lease, utility bill, bank statement or paycheck dated in the last 45 days. source: sos.iowa.gov
• Heard this? "A mailed ballot counts as long as it is postmarked by Election Day." False
  The facts: Your county auditor must receive your mailed ballot by 8 p.m. on Election Day, November 3. Ballots that arrive later are not counted, even with an earlier postmark. You can also hand-deliver it to the auditor's office until 8 p.m. source: sos.iowa.gov
• Heard this? "Anyone with a felony conviction can never vote again in Iowa." False
  The facts: Under Executive Order 7 (August 5, 2020), voting rights come back automatically once you finish your whole sentence, including prison, parole, probation or supervised release. People convicted of homicide-related crimes (Iowa Code chapter 707) must apply to the governor. You do not have to pay off fines first to get your vote back under the order. source: restoreyourvote.iowa.gov
• Heard this? "Amendment 1 would raise or lower income tax rates." False
  The facts: Amendment 1 does not change any tax rate. It changes how many legislators must vote YES to raise income tax rates or create a new income tax: two-thirds of each chamber instead of a simple majority. source: legis.iowa.gov
• Heard this? "You can request a mailed ballot by email." False
  The facts: You must send your county auditor a signed request form by mail or in person, and it must arrive by 5 p.m. October 19, 2026. The form needs your Iowa driver's license or non-operator ID number, or the 4-digit PIN on your Iowa Voter ID card. source: sos.iowa.gov
• Heard this? "You'll get $5,000 after the election." Promised, not law
  The facts: On Sept. 9, 2026 the President promised every adult $5,000, a "Trump Dividend", if Republicans keep both the House and the Senate. It is a campaign promise that depends on the election results; no law or payment exists today. Congress would have to pass it, and AP estimates it would cost over $1 trillion. Is this legal? Experts disagree. Richard Painter, chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, wrote: "No, Mr. President you can't offer voters $5000 if the Republicans win the House and Senate." Former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner called it a completed crime under the federal vote-buying law (18 U.S.C. 597). Election attorney John Day told AP it is legal because it would go to everyone regardless of how they vote: "This is a campaign promise." Rice University political scientist Mark Jones: "It's unsavory, but it's legal." Your ballot is secret, so no payment can depend on how you personally vote. source: kold.com source: internazionale.it source: newsweek.com source: ibtimes.co.uk source: katv.com
• Heard this? "Someone can legally pay you to vote, or to vote a certain way." False
  The facts: No. Paying or offering to pay anyone to vote or to register to vote in a federal election is a federal crime (52 U.S.C. 10307(c)). Accepting the payment is a crime too. source: law.cornell.edu
• Heard this? "The $1 million-a-day giveaway in 2024 paid people for voting." False
  The facts: That contest was open only to registered voters in seven swing states, and entering meant signing a petition, not voting. The group's lawyer told a Pennsylvania court the winners were "not chosen by chance". The judge let it continue. source: aljazeera.com

Checked against official sources, court records and news reports. We update this as new claims go around.