Graphic Courtesy of Wartburg College Tower Agency.
The local election for mayor, city council, hospital trustees and school board representatives will take place Tuesday, Nov. 4. All eligible voters are encouraged to cast their ballots either in their hometown or in Bremer County.
All Wartburg students who are eligible to vote and live on campus can attend the polls at the Waverly Public Library from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Students who do not live on campus should review the City of Waverly Ward Maps to locate their respective polling place.
According to Mariah Birgen, professor of mathematics at Wartburg and Bremer County election official, local elections are arguably the most important for college students.
“These are people who are going to affect [Wartburg students’] lives for the next four years,” Birgen stated. “Is the road in front of the college going to be open, or is it going to be closed? When is the bridge opening? What about the movie theater? It’s the local stuff that actually affects their lives.”
Birgen encouraged all students to vote, advising them to attend the polls in the midafternoon when they are least busy.
“This [election] is going to be lower stress,” Birgen claimed. “You can come in, try it out, see how it works without feeling like you might be making a huge mistake.”
As Election Day approaches, students are encouraged to prepare their identification and proof of residency documents ahead of time to make the registration process as smooth as possible and avoid any delays at the polls.
Students who are not pre-registered are still eligible to vote. However, they must bring a current, valid photo ID with an expiration date and proof of residency for the ward in which they are voting. Wartburg student IDs issued after August 2025 are accepted by the state for voting, as they include an expiration date.
Graphic Courtesy of Wartburg College Tower Agency.
Other acceptable forms of photo identification include:
- Iowa nonoperator ID
- Out-of-state driver’s license or non-operator ID
- U.S. Passport
- U.S. military or veteran ID
- ID Card issued by employer
- Student ID issued by an Iowa high school or college
- Tribal ID card or document
All on-campus housing is part of Ward 3, and students living on campus must provide proof of residency through the my.wartburg portal under Campus Life → Proof of Residency. Students who live off campus may also use other proof of residency documents accepted by the Iowa Secretary of State if they are dated within 45 days. These documents include:
- Residential lease
- Utility bill (including a cell phone bill)
- Bank statement
- Paycheck
- Government check or other government document
- Property tax statement
For more information about polling places, registration status, voting procedures or to view a sample ballot, visit the Bremer County Auditor’s Office website or the Iowa Secretary of State’s Elections and Voting page.
