Iowa State Senate elections, 2020

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2020 Iowa Senate Elections
General	November 3, 2020
Primary	June 2, 2020

Past Election Results

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2020 Elections
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Elections for the office of Iowa State Senate took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for June 2, 2020. The filing deadline was March 13, 2020.

Republicans preserved their existing majority in the 2020 elections, but did not gain a supermajority. Twenty-five of the 50 seats in the state Senate were up in 2020. Heading into the election, Republicans held a 32-18 majority in the chamber, including a 19-6 majority among the seats up for election. Neither party gained or lost seats in 2020, leaving the chamber's partisan balance at its pre-election total of 32-18. A 34-seat majority is required to override gubernatorial vetoes.

The Iowa State Senate was one of 86 state legislative chambers with elections in 2020. A total of 25 seats out of the chamber's 50 seats were up for election in 2020. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. In 2018, 87 out of 99 legislative chambers held elections.

Iowa's 2020 state legislative elections affected partisan control of redistricting following the 2020 census. In Iowa, the state legislature is responsible for drafting both congressional and state legislative district plans. District plans are subject to gubernatorial veto.

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Iowa modified its absentee/mail-in voting procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:

• Absentee/mail-in voting: Absentee ballot application forms were sent to all registered voters in the general election.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

Party control

See also: Partisan composition of state senates and State government trifectas

Iowa State Senate
Party		As of November 3, 2020	After November 4, 2020
	Democratic Party	18	18
	Republican Party	32	32
Total		50	50

General candidates

The candidate list below is based on candidate filing lists provided by the Iowa Secretary of State on March 13, 2020. (I) denotes an incumbent.

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Primary candidates
The candidate list below is based on candidate filing lists provided by the Iowa Secretary of State on March 13, 2020. (I) denotes an incumbent.

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Incumbents who were not re-elected

See also: Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report: Vol. 10, 2020

Incumbents defeated in the general election

One incumbent lost in the Nov. 3 general election. That incumbents was:

Name	Party	Office
Rich Taylor	Democratic	Senate District 42

Incumbents defeated in primary elections

No incumbents lost in the June 2 primaries. Before 2020, the last time an incumbent Senator lost in a primary to a non-incumbent challenger was 2010 when Sen. David Hartsuch (R) lost to Roby Smith (R).

Retiring incumbents

There were seven open seats where the incumbent legislator did not file for re-election in 2020. Those incumbents were:

Name	Party	Office
Randy Feenstra	Republican	Senate District 2
Mark Segebart	Republican	Senate District 6
Charles Schneider	Republican	Senate District 22
Jerry Behn	Republican	Senate District 24
Michael Breitbach	Republican	Senate District 28
Tim Kapucian	Republican	Senate District 38
Thomas Greene	Republican	Senate District 44

The seven seats left open in 2020 was equal to the number of open seats in 2018, but with a partisan variance. In 2020, all seven retiring incumbents were Republicans. In 2018, only one Republican incumbent retired. Five were Democrats and one was an independent. Both 2020 and 2018 represented an increase from the decade-low one open seat in 2016. The table below shows the number of open seats in each election held between 2010 and 2020.

Open Seats in Iowa State Senate elections: 2010 - 2020
Year	Total seats	Open seats	Seats with incumbents running for re-election
2020	25	7 (28 percent)	18 (72 percent)
2018	25	7 (28 percent)	18 (72 percent)
2016	25	1 (4 percent)	24 (96 percent)
2014	25	5 (20 percent)	20 (80 percent)
2012	26	8 (31 percent)	18 (69 percent)
2010	25	3 (12 percent)	22 (88 percent)

Process to become a candidate

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Iowa

See statutes: Title II of the Iowa Code

There are four ways in which a candidate can gain access to the general election ballot: by primary election, by political party convention, by Non-party Political Organization (NPPO) convention, or by petition. These are detailed below.

Iowa allows any registered voter to challenge a candidate's nominating petition, as long as the challenge is made in writing and within 74 days of the corresponding election.

By primary election

A candidate seeking the nomination of a state-recognized political party in a primary election must be a member of that party. Non-party Political Organizations (NPPOs) are not permitted to participate in primary elections. A primary election candidate must file an affidavit of candidacy and nomination petition with the Iowa Secretary of State during the primary election filing period, which begins 99 days before the primary and ends at 5 p.m. on the 81st day before the primary. The affidavit of candidacy and the nomination petition must be filed simultaneously.

For the number of signatures required for nomination petitions, see the table below.

Formulas for determining signature requirements for political party candidates in primary elections
Office sought	Number of signatures needed
Governor or U.S. Senator	3,500 signatures, including at least 100 from 19 different counties.
State executive office (other than governor and lieutenant governor)	2,500 signatures, including at least 77 from 18 different counties.
United States Representative	1,726 signatures, including at least 47 from half of the counties in the district.
State Senator	100 signatures from the district.
State Representative	50 signatures from the district.

By political party convention

If a political party fails to nominate a candidate at the primary election, the party may hold a convention after the primary to nominate a candidate. That candidate must then file a political party convention certificate and an affidavit of candidacy. The deadline to file the convention certificate and affidavit of candidacy is the same as the general election filing deadline. However, a political party convention candidate may file his or her documents before the filing period begins for general election candidates.

By Non-party Political Organization (NPPO) convention

Non-party Political Organizations (NPPOs) are permitted to hold conventions to nominate their candidates. However, in order to qualify their nominations, NPPOs must meet the following requirements:

• To nominate a candidate to a state executive office or the United States Senate, 500 eligible electors, meaning people who meet all the requirements to register to vote, must attend the convention, and 25 counties must be represented by at least one eligible elector each.
• To nominate a candidate to the United States House of Representatives, 200 eligible electors who are residents of the congressional district the candidate seeks to represent must attend, including one eligible elector from at least half of the counties in the district.
• To nominate a candidate to the Iowa State Senate, 50 eligible electors who are residents of the senatorial district must attend, including one eligible elector from one-half of the precincts in the senatorial district.
• To nominate a candidate to the Iowa House of Representatives, 25 eligible electors who are residents of the representative district must attend, including one eligible elector from one-half of the precincts in the representative district.
• A convention may be held at any time as long as it is before the general election filing deadline.
• After the convention, the NPPO must provide a list of those who attended the convention, including their addresses, to the Iowa Secretary of State, along with a convention certificate and an affidavit of candidacy for the candidate nominated. These documents must be filed together during the general election filing period, which begins 99 days before the general election and ends at 5 p.m. 81 days before the general election.

By petition

A candidate who is not affiliated with any political party or NPPO can be nominated by petition. A NPPO candidate can gain ballot access in this manner if the NPPO cannot meet the convention attendance requirements described above. A petition candidates must file an affidavit of candidacy and nomination petition with the Iowa Secretary of State. These forms must be filed together by 5 p.m. 81 days before the general election.

The table below details the signature requirements necessary for obtaining ballot access by petition.

Formulas for determining signature requirements for NPPO candidates
Office sought	Number of signatures needed
United States Senator or governor	3,500 eligible electors, including at least 100 from at least 19 counties
Otherwise statewide executive offices	2,500 eligible electors, including at least 77 from at least 18 counties
United States Representative	1,726 eligible electors who are residents of the congressional district, including at least 47 eligible electors each from at least one-half of the counties in the congressional district

2020 ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for Iowa State Senate candidates in the 2020 election cycle.

Filing requirements for state legislative candidates, 2020
Chamber name	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Iowa State Senate	All candidates	100	N/A	3/13/2020	Source

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

The Iowa Constitution states, "Senators shall be chosen for the term of four years, at the same time and place as representatives; they shall be twenty-five years of age, and possess the qualifications of representatives as to residence and citizenship."

Salaries and per diem

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

State legislative salaries, 2024
Salary	Per diem
$25,000/year	$178/day for legislators who live outside of Polk County. $133.50/day for legislators who live within Polk County.

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Iowa political history

Trifectas

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.

Iowa Party Control: 1992-2024
Four years of Democratic trifectas  •  Ten years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Governor	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	S	S	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
House	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Presidential politics in Iowa

2016 Presidential election results

U.S. presidential election, Iowa, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Electoral votes
	Democratic	Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine	41.7%	653,669	0
	Republican	Donald Trump/Mike Pence	51.1%	800,983	6
	Constitution	Darrell Lane Castle/Scott Bradley	0.3%	5,335	0
	Green	Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka	0.7%	11,479	0
	Legal Marijuana Now	Dan R. Vacek/Mark G. Elworth Jr.	0.1%	2,246	0
	Libertarian	Gary Johnson/Bill Weld	3.8%	59,186	0
	New Independent	Lynn Sandra Kahn/Jay Stolba	0.1%	2,247	0
	Socialism and Liberation	Gloria Estela La Riva/Dennis J. Banks	0%	323	0
	Nominated by petition	Rocky De La Fuente/Michael Steinberg	0%	451	0
	Nominated by petition	Evan McMullin/Nathan Johnson	0.8%	12,366	0
	-	Write-in votes	1.1%	17,746	0
Total Votes				1,566,031	6
Election results via: Iowa Secretary of State

Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Iowa, a voter must be affiliated with a party in order to participate in its primary. However, a voter can change his or her political party affiliation on Election Day, creating what is effectively an open primary.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Poll times

In Iowa, all polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

To vote in Iowa, one must be a United States citizen, a resident of Iowa, and at least 18 years old by Election Day. A voter that is 17 years old may participate in a primary election if they will be 18 by the time of the next general election. The deadline to register is 15 days prior to the election. Iowans may register online or by completing a form and returning to their county auditor’s office by mail or in person. Registration is permitted on Election Day with proof of identification.

Automatic registration

Iowa does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Iowa has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Iowa allows same-day voter registration.

In order to register and vote on Election Day, voters must go to the correct polling place with proof of their identity and residence (i.e. a valid Iowa driver's license or another acceptable form of photo identification and proof of residency).

Residency requirements

To register to vote in Iowa, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Iowa does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. As of November 2024, five states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, and New Hampshire — had passed laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration. However, only two of those states' laws were in effect, in Arizona and New Hampshire. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allowed noncitizens to vote in some local elections as of November 2024. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Iowa secretary of state’s office maintains a page that allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Iowa requires voters to present identification while voting. Voters who do not have a photo ID can obtain an Iowa voter ID card for free by mail.

Voters can present the following forms of identification:

• Iowa voter ID card
• Iowa driver’s license
• Iowa non-operator ID
• U.S. passport
• U.S. military ID or veteran ID
• Tribal ID card/document

Voter who do not have one of the IDs listed above may have another voter attest to their identity, or they may provide a combination of other documents to verify their identity and residence. The following additional documents are acceptable proof of identity:

• Out-of-state driver's license or non-driver ID card
• ID card issued by employer
• Student ID issued by Iowa high school or college
• Another photo ID that is current, valid, and contains an expiration date

The following documents are acceptable proof of residence:

• A photo ID from one of the lists above that includes the voter's current address
• Residential lease
• Utility bill (including a cell phone bill)
• Bank statement
• Paycheck
• Government check or other government document
• Property tax statement

Voters without the required identification or another voter to attest to their identity will be offered a provisional ballot.

Early voting

Iowa permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

As of February 2024, 47 states and the District of Columbia permitted no-excuse early voting.

Absentee voting

All voters are eligible to vote absentee/by-mail in Iowa. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee. To vote absentee/by-mail, a request application must be received by the county auditor between 70 days before the election and 5 p.m. on the 15th day prior to the election. Voters must include one of the following: Iowa driver's license or non-operator ID number, voter ID/verification number, or the four-digit PIN from their voter ID card. Returned absentee ballots must be received by the time polls close on Election Day in order to be counted.

See also

• Iowa State Senate
• Iowa State Legislature
• State legislative elections, 2020

External links

Suggest a link

• Iowa State Legislature

Footnotes

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Current members of the Iowa State Senate

Leadership

Senate President:Amy Sinclair

Minority Leader:Pam Jochum

Senators

District 1

Rocky De Witt (R)

District 2

Jeff Taylor (R)

District 3

Lynn Evans (R)

District 4

Tim Kraayenbrink (R)

District 5

Dave Rowley (R)

District 6

Jason Schultz (R)

District 7

Kevin Alons (R)

District 8

Mark Costello (R)

District 9

Tom Shipley (R)

District 10

Dan Dawson (R)

District 11

Julian Garrett (R)

District 12

Amy Sinclair (R)

District 13

Cherielynn Westrich (R)

District 14

Sarah Trone Garriott (D)

District 15

Tony Bisignano (D)

District 16

Claire Celsi (D)

District 17

Izaah Knox (D)

District 18

Janet Petersen (D)

District 19

Ken Rozenboom (R)

District 20

Nate Boulton (D)

District 21

Mike Bousselot (R)

District 22

Brad Zaun (R)

District 23

Jack Whitver (R)

District 24

Jesse Green (R)

District 25

Herman Quirmbach (D)

District 26

Jeff Edler (R)

District 27

Annette Sweeney (R)

District 28

Dennis Guth (R)

District 29

Sandy Salmon (R)

District 30

Vacant

District 31

William Dotzler (D)

District 32

Michael Klimesh (R)

District 33

Carrie Koelker (R)

District 34

Dan Zumbach (R)

District 35

Chris Cournoyer (R)

District 36

Pam Jochum (D)

District 37

Molly Donahue (D)

District 38

Eric Giddens (D)

District 39

Liz Bennett (D)

District 40

Todd Taylor (D)

District 41

Kerry Gruenhagen (R)

District 42

Charlie McClintock (R)

District 43

Zach Wahls (D)

District 44

Adrian Dickey (R)

District 45

Janice Weiner (D)

District 46

Dawn Driscoll (R)

District 47

Scott Webster (R)

District 48

Mark Lofgren (R)

District 49

Cindy Winckler (D)

District 50

Jeffrey Reichman (R)

Republican Party (33)

Democratic Party (16)

Vacancies (1)