Drake University students, staff, and local community members can skip the Election Day crowds and cast their ballots early on campus. On Monday, Oct. 19, the University is partnering with Polk County election officials to host a convenient, in-person absentee voting location inside the Knapp Center.
Bipartisan student leaders at Drake are continuing a 16-year campus tradition to make early voting seamless for local voters. Through an ongoing joint effort between the Drake College Republicans and Drake Democrats—a partnership that has successfully brought early voting to campus every election cycle since 2008—registered voters can cast their ballots in their local neighborhood.
- When: Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Where: Knapp Center, 2601 Forest Avenue in Des Moines
- Parking: Free street parking spaces are available throughout campus
Voters in precincts 14, 15, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, and 37 will have pre-printed ballots available at the satellite voting location. Any registered voter in Polk County may participate at this location, and all Polk County precincts and ballot styles will be available for voters who need assistance marking a ballot using the OpenElect marking devices. Voters do not need to request an absentee ballot to participate in early voting; they can simply show up at a satellite voting location and submit their vote. Individuals may also register to vote at the satellite voting location provided they have the required proof of identification and residence.
Drake University is committed to voter access and is backed by national recognition. The University has earned national recognition for its commitment to voter access, securing a Gold Seal by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. The program recognizes outstanding student participation in elections, and cited Drake’s high voter turnout. Beyond turnout metrics, Drake earned “Highly Established Action Plan” distinctions for its strategic civic engagement roadmaps and joined the Presidents’ Commitment initiative after collecting more than 700 student signatures in support of full student voter participation.
“When student leaders set aside their differences to make voting easier for everyone, that’s democracy at its best,” said Jessica Vanden Berg, executive director of The Ron and Jane Olson Institute for Public Democracy. “By bringing early voting to the Knapp Center, our students are making sure every voice on campus and in our community has a clear, convenient path to the ballot box.”
To learn more about Drake University and what it has to offer students interested in political science, visit www.drake.edu/polsci/.