Nov. 3 Brings Local Races in Iowa and New York: What Voters Need to Know

Voters in two small communities, one in Iowa and one in upstate New York, will decide local contests on Tuesday, Nov. 3. In Poweshiek County, Iowa, residents will choose in several local and state races. In Naples, New York, voters will settle a town supervisor rematch for the second year in a row.

Local newsrooms in both places put questions to the candidates ahead of the vote, and the answers show what matters to residents. Registration rules, polling sites, and early voting dates also differ between the two states.

Poweshiek County Voting Details

The Oct. 19 deadline for voter pre-registration in Iowa has passed. Even so, Poweshiek County residents who meet Iowa’s voter ID requirements and carry proof of residence can still register at the polls on Election Day. That option gives late deciders one more chance to take part in the Nov. 3 midterm election.

Polls in the county stay open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Students at Grinnell can ride a shuttle that runs every half hour from the JRC to local polling stations during those hours. Voters can find more information on the websites for the College, Poweshiek County, and the Iowa Secretary of State.

Grinnell has four wards, and each ward determines where residents cast ballots. The first and second wards vote at the Elks Lodge at 730 3rd Ave. The third ward votes at Drake Library at 930 Park St., and the fourth ward votes at the Poweshiek County Fair 4-H building at 425 East St.

State Legislative Candidates in Iowa

The student newspaper The Scarlet & Black asked candidates a series of questions about their backgrounds, their reasons for running, and their priorities if elected. The paper lightly edited responses for clarity. It left unanswered questions blank, and candidates who did not submit a photo appear without one.

In the State Senate District 27 race, Republican Annette Sweeney did not submit responses to the questionnaire. In State House District 53, Democrat Berleen Wobeter did answer, and she shared a detailed account of her background.

Wobeter, 69, has spent most of her life in Tama County, apart from brief stretches away for college and a first teaching job in Anamosa, Iowa. She graduated from Dysart-Geneseo High School in Dysart, which has since consolidated into Union High School. She then earned a B.S. in Family and Consumer Science education from Iowa State University.

Later, Wobeter completed a Master’s in Religious Education from Loyola University in New Orleans through an extension program that predated online classes. Students gathered at an Iowa location, where a facilitator led the sessions, and the group met for three years. Most recently, she worked for the South Tama County Community School District, where her roles ranged from part-time educator to long-term substitute to daily substitute.

A Rematch in Naples

Across the country in Ontario County, New York, the race for Naples town supervisor looks familiar. Democrat John B. Cowley, the incumbent, faces Republican William Stopka, who also runs on the Vote Affordable line. Cowley beat Stopka last November by a margin of 402-234.

The repeat matchup has a simple explanation. A state election law that took effect last year moved town elections to even-numbered years. Anyone elected last year to a two-year term must therefore run again now, while officials elected to four-year terms will face voters again in 2028.

Voters in Ontario County have a head start on the process. In-person early voting began Oct. 24 and continues through Sunday, Nov. 1, ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Both candidates received the same questions by email, and their answers were lightly edited.

Who Are the Candidates?

William “Bill” Stopka was born in 1961 in Bath, Steuben County. He grew up on Mechanic Street in Naples as the only child of Tony and Betty Stopka, and the home remains in the family today. A member of the Naples High School class of 1979, he married his wife, Carmen, in 1987, and the couple has two adult children, Jeremy and Nicole, and two grandchildren.

Stopka worked in maintenance, project, production, and plant management at various locations in and out of state before he retired in 2021. He belongs to the Naples Republican Committee, the Naples Joint Planning Board, and the Naples Chapter Rotary Club.

John B. Cowley, 71, has been married for more than 30 years and has lived in Naples since 1967. He first ran for supervisor in 2011, served two terms, and then stepped aside. After someone asked him to run again in 2023, he won that year and again in 2025.

Cowley worked for Daramarc International of New York City from 1977 until as recently as 2023. He chairs the public safety committee of the Ontario County Board of Supervisors and also serves on its ways and means committee.

Growth and Short-Term Rentals

Both candidates received this question: What is the most important issue facing residents in the town of Naples, and what would you do about it if elected? Cowley pointed to growth as the central concern.

“We are very lucky to have this concern, growth. Well-intentioned guidance with that growth is very important,” Cowley said.

Cowley said growth has arrived in different forms, and short-term rentals, or STRs, currently top the list. He ranked health and safety as his number one priority, with keeping the town’s budget in check following close behind. He framed that focus around keeping visitors safe.

What Comes Next

The two contests could hardly look more different on the surface, with a legislative seat in Iowa on one side and a town supervisor’s job in New York on the other. Yet both rest on the same basic step: showing up on Nov. 3 prepared. Iowa voters should confirm their ward and bring identification and proof of residence if they need to register at the polls. New York voters can skip the Election Day lines by using early voting through Nov. 1.