IOWA, USA — The Iowa Secretary of State's Office says more than half a million Iowans have been moved to "inactive" voter status following a recent maintenance process.
This process is due to a law change in 2021, which requires registered voters to be marked inactive if they fail to vote in the most recent general election.
565,184 Iowans were moved to inactive status recently, with 294,000 impacted back in April 2021.
The Office of the Secretary of State says this will not affect anyone's ability to vote in any election in 2023, 2024, 2025 or 2026, adding the voting experience for inactive voters is identical to that of active voters. Inactive voters will be treated the same when they request an absentee ballot or vote in person at the polls.
A mailer will be sent out to inactive voters to alert them of their status and give them the option to return it to active.
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate says Iowans who receive the document would just need to check the appropriate box, sign their name and return the postcard. Postage is pre-paid, so there's no need for a stamp.
An example of the "No Activity" notice can be seen below or at this link.
To return to active status, voters can also request an absentee ballot, vote in an election, submit new registration, or update their voter registration prior to the end of the 2026 general election cycle. However, if inactive voters do not do one of these options, they'd be moved to canceled status following the November 2026 election.
To check your voter registration status, visit VoterReady.Iowa.gov.