Northwest Iowa — (RI) –The majority of votes for Tuesday’s Primary Election have already been cast by absentee ballot — and there’s been a huge shift in party affiliation.
For the first time in years, independent or “no party” voters are no longer the largest voting block in the state. Independents have dropped to third behind Democrats and Republicans. Secretary of State Paul Pate is the state’s commissioner of elections.
(as said) “I’m sure a lot of people will be analyzing this one to figure it all out, but it was pretty even,” Pate says. “Republicans increased by about 36,000 and the Democrats increased by about 31,000 of new registered voters.”
In the fourth congressional district, where Congressman Steve King faces a primary challenge, more than 12-thousand residents joined the ranks of Republicans in order to vote in the primary. In the third congressional district, Democrats gained nine-thousand and Republicans 85-hundred. In the second district, where Republicans have a competitive congressional primary, Republican voter rolls grew by more than nine-thousand. And, in the first congressional district, Republicans gained 11-thousand-seven hundred and Democrats gained 12-thousand voters.
By Monday morning, 77 percent of the absentee ballots requested had been received by county auditors. That’s nearly 376-thousand ballots — and more are expected to be delivered Tuesday as some voters waited until Monday to mail their ballot in.
(as said) “Definitely a record breaker,” Pate says.
Iowans who got an absentee ballot but failed to fill it out and mail it on time have two options. They can fill it out and drop it off at their county auditor’s office before 9 p.m. OR they can take the unused ballot to their voting precinct, hand it over to a poll worker, and get a new ballot to vote at the precinct.
