The time has come to cast your vote

Anyone hoping to divert their attention from big-ticket races at the federal level won't find any distractions in O'Brien or Clay counties.

There are no competitive races at the state or local level in either county. With the exception of races for president, U.S. Senate and U.S. House, voters in O'Brien and Clay counties should be able to breeze right through their ballots next week.

There is one public measure on the ballot, however. Voters will decide if there should be a convention to revise the Iowa Constitution with new amendments, which is required by state code to be asked every 10 years. The measure has failed by large margins in recent decades.

Voters will also decide whether a bevy of judges should be retained.

• ID requirements

Polls are open Tuesday from 7 a.m.-9 p.m. A valid form of identification will be required. Pre-registered voters should bring an Iowa driver's license or non-operator ID, US passport, tribal ID card/document, U.S. military or veteran ID, or an Iowa voter ID card. Expired drivers licenses count if they ran out in 2020.

If you are registering to vote after the pre-registration deadline or at the polls Nov. 3, you must provide a current and valid photo ID. Approved forms of identification for Election Day registrants include the items listed above, excluding the Iowa Voter ID Card. Additional acceptable forms of identification are an out-of-state driver's license or non-operator ID, employer-issued ID, or student ID issued by an Iowa high school or college.

If your address has changed or you need to register after the pre-registration deadline at the polls on Election Day, you will also be required to provide proof of residence. If your current address is on your current and valid ID, then it may also serve as proof of residence. These documents must include the voter's name and address and be current within 45 days of presentation. With the exception of an ID, they may be in electronic format on a cell phone or tablet. Additional approved proof of residence documents are a residential lease, utility bill (including a cell phone bill), bank statement, paycheck, government check or other government document, or a property tax statement.

• Absentee deadlines

If you're voting by mail via absentee ballot, it must be received in the county auditor's office by the time polls close on Election Day to be eligible for counting. Absentee ballots received after polls close on Nov. 3 must be postmarked by Nov. 2 or earlier and received in the county auditor's office no later than noon on Monday, Nov. 9.

Voted absentee ballots cannot be delivered to the polling place on Election Day. If you have not returned it by then, you have the following options: Deliver your voted absentee ballot to the county auditor's office before the polls close on election day; surrender your voted absentee ballot at the polls and vote a regular ballot; or vote a provisional ballot at the polls if you cannot surrender your voted absentee ballot.