Iowa general election: November 3, 2026

Who is running for District 5C Judge Retention: Joseph W. Seidlin in 2026?

Here are the candidates for District 5C Judge Retention: Joseph W. Seidlin on the November 3, 2026 ballot. This race is on the ballot for voters in Judicial Election District 5C.

This is a retention vote: voters decide yes or no on keeping this judge for another term. Judges may not promise how they would rule, so we show experience and record instead of issue positions.

Joseph W. Seidlin

· Incumbent

District Court Judge, Judicial Election District 5C (Polk County)

Joseph W. Seidlin serves as District Court Judge, Judicial Election District 5C (Polk County). Joseph W. Seidlin is up for a retention vote on November 3, 2026: voters decide yes or no on keeping the judge in office, and the judge serves another term if a majority votes yes¹³. The Iowa Judicial Branch says the judge was appointed as a District Court Judge in November 2018, after serving as a District Associate Judge since August 2013².

District Court Judge, District 5C (Polk County), appointed November 2018²
District Associate Judge since August 2013, and a Polk County Magistrate for 8 years before that²
28 years in private practice before taking the District Associate bench; Drake University, 1982; Drake law degree, 1985²
The Iowa Judicial Branch says this judge was appointed as a District Court Judge in November 2018, after serving as a District Associate Judge since August 2013². Iowa district judges and district associate judges are chosen by the governor from two names sent by a district judicial nominating commission, and then stand in retention elections³.

Last reviewed 2026-10-06. Spotted something wrong? Every claim links to its source so you can check it yourself.