O'Brien County, Iowa
Everything a O'Brien County, Iowa voter needs in one place: registration, voter ID, absentee and early voting, and your sample ballot. Home to about 14,300 people, O'Brien County ranks 55th in population among Iowa's 99 counties. In Iowa, the county auditor is the county's commissioner of elections and handles registration, absentee ballots and polling places.
Next Election
June 6, 2028
Voter Portal
Register Online
What's On My Ballot?
ID Requirements
Absentee / Early Voting
Registration Deadline
Register online or by mail at least 15 days before an election; you can also register in person, including on Election Day.
Why Voting Matters
Every eligible adult in O'Brien County, Iowa holds the same power on Election Day: one vote that counts exactly as much as anyone else's. The next election for O'Brien County voters is Iowa's primary election on June 6, 2028; local elections can come sooner, so check your local election office. Many O'Brien County jobs are in health care and retail, so decisions about health care costs and local businesses hit close to home.
O'Brien County voters cast about 7,500 ballots for president in 2024, about the same as the 7,550 cast in 2020. Compared with the county's roughly 11,100 adult residents, that works out to about 68%, close to the statewide rate of about 65%.
Put another way, about 3,560 adults in O'Brien County sat that election out. Not all of them can vote, but if even 5% of them did, that would be roughly 178 more ballots, often more than the margin in races for local councils, school boards, the legislature or Congress.
Covering about 573 square miles with roughly 25 people per square mile, O'Brien County is the kind of rural community where a few dozen votes can settle a local election. The county is home to about 0.4% of Iowa's population.
ZIP codes in or partly in O'Brien County include 51009, 51014, 51022, 51029, 51035, 51046, 51047 and 51058, plus 8 more. Confirm your registration, read through your sample ballot before Election Day, and choose whether you will vote early, by mail or in person. Invite someone you know in O'Brien County to join you.
Voter Assistance Resources
Who runs elections in O'Brien County? In Iowa, the county auditor is the county's commissioner of elections and handles registration, absentee ballots and polling places. For registration, polling places, early voting and absentee ballots, contact the O'Brien County auditor.
Direct link, Iowa Secretary of State county auditor contact page:
https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/auditors/auditor.asp?CountyID=71&btnGo=Go
Statewide directory, Iowa Secretary of State's county auditor list:
https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterinformation/index.html
See your sample ballot. Iowa Secretary of State general election page (sample ballots come from your county auditor):
https://sos.iowa.gov/general-election
You can also preview a personalized ballot at Vote411.org.
Free, nonpartisan help is available before and on every Election Day: call or text the Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683). Spanish: 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682). Asian languages: 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683).
Voters with disabilities in O'Brien County can ask for an accessible voting machine, curbside voting where offered, and help from a person of their choice. If you run into barriers, contact Disability Rights Iowa, Iowa's Protection and Advocacy agency, at (800) 779-2502. VoteRiders (844-338-8743) offers free help with voter ID.
Need a ride? Many local transit agencies and ride services offer free or discounted rides to the polls on Election Day, so check what is available before the next election. See our Iowa voter page for statewide options. Details can change, so confirm with the official election office.
Military and overseas voters can get help from the Federal Voting Assistance Program at 1-800-438-VOTE (8683) or fvap.gov.
Sign up to be an election worker
Election workers (often called poll workers) keep voting running smoothly in O'Brien County. Most are paid for their time, get free training, and help their neighbors cast their ballots. You can work a full day, a shorter shift, or help before Election Day. County and municipal election offices recruit and train their own workers, and the EAC's Help America Vote page links to yours. Find out how to sign up:
https://www.eac.gov/help-america-vote
Take the Next Step
Find volunteer opportunities, visit the voting resources page, or shop sustainable products.
Buy the book that led to the creation of this website: Peace is Active by Tom McCann
Share what you’re doing for peace on social media with #peaceisactive