2023 Candidate Survey
The Street Collective recently surveyed all candidates running for office for City Council on essential transportation issues facing Des Moines. This election, that includes 18 candidates for Mayor, At-Large Representative, and Wards 1, 2, and 4 Representatives.
With responses from 14 candidates, this process illuminates each candidate’s positions on transportation safety, budgeting, and how to make Des Moines a stronger city for walking, biking, and transit.
- 13 of 14 candidates support accelerating the timeline to fill sidewalk gaps;
- 11 of 14 candidates support denser development and repurposing car-based infrastructure such as surface parking lots;
- 13 of 14 candidates support using physical bike lane separators on major streets; and,
- 12 of 14 candidates support right-sizing major roads to make them safer for everyone.
These are major improvements to past election cycles and demonstrate the continued influence of people like you speaking out for more walkable, bikeable neighborhoods and streets in Des Moines.
The areas of greatest disagreement are on speed cameras and DART funding, two questions with a great deal of nuance.
With 5 of the 7 Council seats up for election this year, informed voting is absolutely critical.
Please take the time
to read through the full answers of the candidates in your races, and think about how the differences could impact Des Moines for years to come.
As always, the role of the Street Collective is to inform and educate the public
about transportation safety and accessibility. The Street Collective does not endorse any candidate for office
but encourages everyone to vote on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.
Local Voting Rules
Polls are open from 7:00 AM until 8:00 PM on Tuesday, November 7, 2023. Find your
polling place here.
Early Voting & Vote-by-Mail All registered voters can request an absentee ballot and vote from home. Print and mail this
Absentee Ballot Request Form by October 20, 2023. Return form to: Polk County Election Office 120 2nd Ave, Ste A. Des Moines, IA 50309
Completed absentee ballots must be received by 8 PM on Election Day, regardless of when they’re postmarked.
Election-Day Voting Registered voters bring a photo ID. Acceptable IDs are an Iowa driver's license or a non-operator ID, a U.S. passport or military ID, a veteran's ID, tribal ID or an Iowa voter ID card. If the address on your ID does not match your current address, you must bring proof of residency.
Same-Day Voter Registration Iowa has same-day voter registration. If you are not registered to vote, you can do so at the polls when you show up in-person to vote on Election Day. To register, provide ID and proof of residency.