Follow along as our reporters deliver live coverage from Grinnell polling locations. As we speak with voters, we will update this page with insights on which candidates they support, which issues are important to them and any other important developments from the polls.
To view The Scarlet & Black’s live coverage on X, formerly Twitter, click here. For more information about casting your ballot, check out our voter guide. To learn more about the candidates in Poweshiek County, check out our candidate questionnaire.
Results
Presidential election: The Associated Press has called the race in Iowa, which has six electoral votes, for Donald Trump (R).
Iowa House District 2: The Associated Press has called the race for Ashley Hinson (R).
State Representative District 53: Dean Fisher (R), incumbent since 2013, has defeated Tommy Hexter (D), 57 percent to 43 percent.
Poweshiek County Supervisor: Jacki Bolen (R) has defeated Diana Dawley (D), incumbent since 2016, and John Clayton (I), 52 percent to 43 percent.
Live Updates
5:50 p.m., Elks Lodge — “I just think we need a businessman in there,” said Nathan Sparks, 27. “I guess nothing bad about Kamala [Harris], just need a businessman.”
5:45 p.m., Poweshiek County Fair 4-H Building — C.J. Garland, 40, voted for the Libertarian presidential candidate Chase Oliver. When asked why he voted for Oliver, CJ said, “Honestly, the fact that they weren’t Kamala or Donald … I think I can say [I] have been interested in third party candidates for a long time, and they don’t get accurate media coverage.”
5:30 p.m., Poweshiek County Fair 4-H Building — “Maybe there are problems, but those are the things that we have to fix, working on problems, as opposed to simply a lot of name calling,” Mark Levandoski, 56, said. Levandoski voted for Kamala Harris.
5:30 p.m., Elks Lodge — Leah Perlmutter, 34, moved to Grinnell a year ago from Seattle. “In Washington state, at least you can get, everyone gets in the mail a voter pamphlet, which is a book where every candidate has to state why they’re running for office… That doesn’t exist here,” Perlmutter, a Democrat, said. “It was really frustrating for me this election, because I just didn’t know who I was going to vote for.”
4:51 p.m., Poweshiek County Fair 4-H Building — Kayne Pavey, 18, voted for Kamala Harris. Pavey said that “equality for all people, especially women’s rights” was important to him as a first time voter.
4:37 p.m., Poweshiek County Fair 4-H Building — “There is too much craziness on the other side right now,” said Alan Goodrich, 57, who voted for Kamala Harris.
4:22 p.m., Poweshiek County Fair 4-H Building — Simon Kovalik, 75, did not specify who he voted for. “I think we had two very poor choices in a country like this … Nobody talked about the debt, and that’s what pissed me off,” Kovalik, a Republican, said.
3:47 p.m., Elks Lodge — Alondra Valladares `28 and Lesly Estrada `28 voted for Kamala Harris. “With our Mexican heritage, it is personal,” Estrada said. “She’s fighting for rights for immigrants.”
3:42 p.m., Elks Lodge — Byran Oliver, 59, voted for Trump. “I don’t like Harris but I don’t like Trump either,” Oliver, a Republican, said.
3:34 p.m., Elks Lodge — Lora Cline, 62, said in years past she hasn’t voted mostly Republican. “This was just a hard year to pick,” Cline, an independent, said. “The biggest thing was the economy.” Cline voted for Donald Trump, Dean Fisher and Ashley Hinson.
3:25 p.m., Elks Lodge — Chris Ely, 57, voted a split ticket as a self-identified independent, choosing Kamala Harris (D) for president, Ashley Hinson (R) for Iowa’s Second Congressional District, Dean Fisher (R) for House District 53 and Diana Dawley (D) for County Supervisor. He said his main issues were abortion and the economy. “I’ve known her [Dawley] for a while,” he said, and “I liked what I saw in her [Hinson’s] ads.”
3:18 p.m., Elks Lodge — Demi Oni `27 voted for Kamala Harris. “I’m African American… I have a lot of contentions with Donald Trump and don’t believe what he preaches,” said Oni. “I’d be very proud to see another Black person be president.”
3:01 p.m., Elks Lodge — Gloria Peebels, a 68-year-old Republican, voted for Kamala Harris. “I don’t like how Mr. Trump treats people,” she said. In regards to her decision to vote for Tommy Hexter, she said, “I just thought it was time for a change.”
2:53 p.m., Elks Lodge — Jarel Walters, 56, voted for Dean Fisher for House District 53. “More experience,” Walters, a Republican, said. “Tommy Hexter’s not that old.”
2:41 p.m., Elks Lodge — Kayla Kelly, 32, Democrat, voted for Tommy Hexter. “I work for the AEA [Area Education Agencies] and I reached out to Dean Fisher personally when Governor Reynolds tried to change her legislation to dismember us, and I got no response,” Kelly said. “I like that he [Hexter] is for education and against the vouchers set in place.”
2:22 p.m., Elks Lodge — Tim Sittig, 61, voted for Donald Trump. “Four years ago, I was in a much better place economically and financially than now,” Sittig said.
1:41 p.m., Drake Community Library — Doug Stinespring, 61, spoke regarding the judges on the ballot that are up for retention. “They don’t really give you enough information other than the colleges they went to,” he said. “That’s fine, but that’s not what I want. What is their record? What and how do they do in court?”
1:23 p.m., Drake Community Library — Hannah Kauffman, 29, spoke on how she felt after voting for Kamala Harris. “As soon as you get out you’re just like, it’s over,” she said. “I kinda just dropped it at the door.”
1:15 p.m., Drake Community Library — Ryan Latham, 42, voted for Donald Trump. “Honestly, I just like him,” Latham said. “I like what he did with the economy last time and I want to see him do it again.”
1:08 p.m., Drake Community Library — Mike Warden, 61, voted for Tommy Hexter for House District 53. “I had never seen anything about Fisher, I’ve seen some of the signs for Hexter so that was the only one that really popped in my head,” Warden said.
1:05 p.m., Drake Community Library — “We’ve already been through him [a Trump presidency] once and we know what he is going to do,” said Tiffany Warden, 35, who voted for Donald Trump.
12:59 p.m., Drake Community Library — “I don’t believe in the Republican’s racist injustice system, dishonesty, and corruption,” said Dylan Mullen, 30. “I think this is the day Trump sympathizers will be cooked.”
12:22 p.m., Drake Community Library — “Border control, the whole economy, it’s been rough the past couple years,” said Mitchelle Innis, 30, who voted for Trump. “Both my parents were in the military so that’s important to me.”
12:04 p.m., Drake Community Library — “I’ve known Tommy [Hexter] for a few years and ag[riculture] is a big thing in this area,” said Davis Hamilton, 21. “Especially ensuring that he is going to protect the agriculture that we need and the sustainability that we need to continue that business and continue doing the work that makes Iowa happen.”
11:55 a.m., Drake Community Library — Scott Earhart, 23, voted for Donald Trump. “I don’t believe in why guns should be so restricted,” Earhart said. “Honestly, don’t be dumb. It’s like, you should know right and wrong.”
11:51 a.m., Elks Lodge — “I voted for Tommy Hexter. He came to my school,” said Cameron Thompson, an 18-year-old student at Grinnell High School. “I love him. He’s the only politician I don’t hate.”
11:43 a.m., Drake Community Library — Roy Marshall, 55, voted for Kamala Harris. “When I had any doubt, I just voted for all of the women because I feel there needs to be more women in politics,” Marshall said.
11:39 a.m., Drake Community Library — Thomas White, 33, said he voted for Kamala Harris because of “a woman’s right to choose and the issues at the border.”
11:35 a.m., Elks Lodge — “I am out of state so I was a little unsure about how that was going to work, but everyone was really friendly,” said Tennyson Shultz `28, a Democrat. “I live in Texas and I knew that Texas was probably going to go red, and so I figured since Iowa is actually swinging more than we expected, it would probably have a little more impact.”
11:34 p.m., Drake Community Library — “I went with Tommy Hexter because he was my classmate at Grinnell,” said Veronica Ruse, 27. “I could tell he really really cared about issues in Poweshiek County.”
11:17 a.m., Elks Lodge — Tracy Glascoe, 52, said her Christian values influence her decisions as a voter. “I do not believe in abortion at all, and as a Christian I always vote Republican,” said Glascoe.
11:12 a.m., Elks Lodge — “I’m a Republican but that doesn’t mean I always vote Republican,” said Jean Kinnairo, 82. Kinnairo did not state who she voted for.
11:04 a.m., Elks Lodge — Sam Simon, 18, voted for Donald Trump as an independent voter. “Economically I think [Trump] would be the most beneficial. And war, I think what he would do for war would be very beneficial for the world,” Simon said.
10:52 a.m., Elks Lodge — “I’m tired and fearful of Trump getting in the White House and running our country,” said Chris Dixon, a 62-year-old Democrat. “I like the prospect of calm and normalcy.”
10:52 a.m., Elks Lodge — Kay Belleau, 81, said she voted for Donald Trump. “The shape the country is in right now, the economy, the illegals — I need a president who will be strong in the world,” Belleau said.
10:51 a.m., Elks Lodge — “I voted Democrat in the last election too even though I’m a Republican,” said Dave Nevins, 50. “I don’t like the direction the Republican Party is going.”
10:45 a.m., Elks Lodge — Jake Warren `28 said regarding his decision to vote for Dean Fisher for House District 53 that “I wasn’t really sure, so I just did eenie meenie minie moe.”
10:23 a.m., Elks Lodge — Susan Witt, 58, voted for Tommy Hexter despite voting a straight Republican ticket otherwise. “[Hexter] is local and I’m really passionate about organic farming,” Witt said. “I feel like we need to change our whole food system, and he’s really tapped into organic farming and different ways of farming. I think that’s really important right here with our country and for the world.”
10:05 a.m., Elks Lodge — “Locally, Tommy’s grassroots involvement is the strongest factor for me,” said Lara Janson, 41, a registered Democrat.
9:45 a.m., Elks Lodge — “I wouldn’t trust Trump further than I could throw him,” said Sharon Raplinter, 78.
9:40 a.m., Elks Lodge — “Well, the private school versus public school stuff, it’s a pretty big issue for sure,” Keegan Parrott, a 34-year-old Democrat, said of his decision to vote for Tommy Hexter.
9:35 a.m., Elks Lodge — Alethea Wood, 18, said an important issue when voting in her first ever election today was tax policy. “I don’t really agree with Trump’s tax policy and stuff like that, and then just, you know, reproductive rights,” Wood, who voted for Kamala Harris, said.
9:33 a.m., Elks Lodge — Robert Lloyd, 92, said he considered the economy and the border as his most important issues when voting for Donald Trump. “I feel like if it doesn’t go right, I think it’s probably the last [election]. I think the country is in trouble right now,” Lloyd said.
9:25 a.m., Elks Lodge — Felix Benardo `25, age 21, said he was voting for Tommy Hexter for House District 53. “My key issues with Tommy were the environment and farmers’ rights and protecting local farmers and protecting local food,” said Benardo, a Democrat. “Also demanding more tax money from big corporations like Walmart and Hy-Vee and those kinds of places. I think his connection with local farmers is important and with Diana [Dawley], I think it’s an extension of that.”
9:20 a.m., Elks Lodge — “I’ve always considered myself very conservative and moderate,” Luke Kotz, a 44-year-old independent voter, said about his decision to vote for Kamala Harris. “A big factor for me is just everything that surrounds Trump, I struggle with a little bit as being the leader of our nation, so this is a tough one for me.”
