This month’s updated voter registration data shows in two of Iowa’s new congressional districts, independent voters outnumber those who register as Democrats or Republicans.
The new first congressional district which covers counties in southeast through central Iowa has more than 200,000 independent voters, about 195,000 Democrats and Republicans are the third voting block, with about 172,000 registered voters. Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa plans to run for reelection in the district.
Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Marion plans to seek reelection in the new second congressional district which sits in the northeast quadrant of the state. It has 197,000 registered independent voters as of December 1, 2021. The tally of Democrats is about 10,000 behind that and Republicans account for a little under a third of all voters in the district.
The new third district starts in central Iowa and flows down to the Missouri border. Democrats outnumber Republicans by about 17,000 in the new third district and it is the only district where independent voters are the third largest voting block. This is the district where Congresswoman Cindy Axne, a Democrat from West Des Moines, plans to seek reelection.
The new fourth district in western and northern Iowa has a large voter registration edge for Republicans and it’s where Republican Congressman Randy Feenstra of Hull is running for reelection. There are 87,000 more Republicans than Democrats and independent voters are the second largest group in the new fourth district.
National studies show up to three-quarters of voters who register as independents rarely split their ballots and routinely vote for candidates of one of the country’s two major political parties.