General election information for Shelby County voters

 SHELBY COUNTY — Shelby County voters will head to the polls Tuesday, November 5 to cast their ballots in the 2024 general election. In addition to choosing the next President and Vice President, voters will be asked to decide on State and U.S. Legislators, county offices and seats on county committees, the retention of Judges and Justices, two amendments to the Iowa Constitution, and a bond issue for Iowa Western Community College.
State and U.S. Legislators
 State races in Iowa include U.S. Representative District 4, in which incumbent Randy Feenstra (R) is being challenged by Ryan Melton (D). Incumbent Steven Holt (R) will face Democratic challenger Dustin Durbin for State Representative District 12. Incumbent Republican Jason Schultz will face off against Libertarian David M. Davis for State Senator District 6.
 Republican nominees run unopposed
 for county seats
  Incumbent Shelby County Sheriff Neil Gross is running unopposed. Gross has served in the Sheriff’s Department for 11 years, and was first elected to the Sheriff’s position in 2016.
 Taryn Knapp won the Republican ticket for County Auditor, a position currently held by Mark Maxwell, who chose to not run for re-election.
 Mike Kolbe and incumbent Shelby County Board of Supervisor Charles Parkhurst will be the two names on the ticket for two Supervisor seats. Current Shelby County Board of Supervisor Chairman Steve Kenkel did not run for re-election.
 Four seats available on County Agricultural Extension Council
 Six names are on the ballot for four open seats on the County Agricultural Extension Council: Connie Petersen, Michele Monson, Kathy Fara, Matthew Worthey, Kristi Travis, and Larry J. Wendt, Jr.. In addition, Nate Botine is running to fill a vacancy on the County Council.
 “The council members elected this year will be involved in bringing educational opportunities to Shelby County for the next four years”, Terry Torneten, ISU Extension and Outreach Regional Director said.
 ISU Extension and Outreach Shelby County educational programming is a cooperative effort involving local citizens, Iowa State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 
 “With the council members guidance, connecting Shelby County with the resources of ISU Extension and Outreach continues as it has for the past 107 years. Our Shelby County priorities focus on public value as the broader benefits that extension programs provide to society or the community at large, and private value as the individual benefit that participants gain from engaging with extension programs,” Torneten said.
 “Through interactions with ISU Extension and Outreach staff, extension councils help build a strong Iowa by engaging all Iowans in research, education, and extension experiences to address current and emerging real-life challenges.”
 Also on the ballot
 Iowa voters will be asked to approve or reject two constitutional amendments, and Shelby County voters will be asked to support a $55 million bond referendum to fund expansions at Iowa Western Community College centers.
 Three names are on the ballot for three seats to serve as County Hospital Trustees: Jeanine P. Larsen, Mike Frederick, and James E. Bieker.
   Jason Monson and Carl Petersen will vie for Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner. 
 Voters will also be asked if the following Justices/Judges should be retained: Supreme Court Justice David May; Court of Appeals Judges Samuel Langholz, Mary Ellen Tabor, Tyler J. Buller, and Mary Elizabeth Chicchelly; District 4 Court Judges Jennifer Benson Bahr and Eric John Nelson; and District 4 Associate Judge David W. Brooks. For more information about the judges and justices on the ballot, visit the website judicialfacts.org
County Auditor discusses early and absentee voting
Auditor Mark Maxwell said he thinks most Shelby County voters will vote in person Tuesday. “I expect the larger share of the ballots will be cast on election day, staying with the traditional means of voting,” Maxwell said.
The Auditor’s Office will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, November 2 for in-person absentee voting. The final day to vote absentee in-person at the Auditor’s Office is Monday, November 4.
In the 2020 General Election, Shelby County had 4,456 total absentee ballots sent/cast before election day, which made up 50% of eligible voters, Maxwell said. “This is attributed to the fact we were in the depths of COVID,” Maxwell explained. There were 3,229 ballots for the 2016 election sent/cast prior to election day in 2016.
Shelby County has approximately 8,500 registered voters, Maxwell stated. He reminds those voting in person to make certain they go to the correct precinct on election day. Please see precinct locations above. If you have any questions regarding precinct locations, please call the Auditor’s Office at 712-755-3831 ext 6.
Pre-registered voters are reminded to bring an approved form of identification to the polling place. Voters who are not pre-registered, such as those registering to vote on election day, and voters changing precincts must provide proof of residence.