More than 90 percent of eligible Iowans have registered to vote in this year’s election. Out of the nearly 2.1 million active voters in the state, Republicans outnumber Democrats by about 20,000. Iowa Republican Party chairman Jeff Kaufmann says that’s remarkable after the Iowa Caucuses when Democrats added new voters.
“Slowly but surely Republicans have been adding to our rolls,” Kaufmann says, “and we’re inching away in terms of Democratic registration versus Republican registration.”
Kaufmann says this narrow statewide voter registration advantage means nothing, though, if Republicans who’ve registered fail to cast a ballot tomorrow.
“If they show up to vote, then I believe we will have a very, very good day,” Kaufmann says. “If they do not, I think the election could go either way.”
Iowa Democratic Party chairman Mark Smith says Republicans had a larger, 33,000 voter registration edge over Democrats heading into the 2016 election.
“Over the last four cycles the Democrats have steadily increased the registered voters to narrow that long-held Republican advantage here,” Smith says.
According to the Secretary of State’s website, more than 956,000Iowans have already voted and Smith says Democrats’ share of early votes is the highest ever.
“Right now, the Democrats in the early voting have a 13% edge over the Republicans,” Smith says. “…The previous record was 10% higher in 2012.”
More than a million Iowans asked for an absentee ballot in order to vote before tomorrow. Iowans who did that, but didn’t get the ballot delivered to their county auditor’s office may still vote. They are to take their uncast absentee ballot to their local precinct, turn it in and get a regular ballot to cast on Election Day.