DES MOINES, Iowa — Tuesday marked another Election Day for Americans, and Iowans in Polk County turned out in record numbers.
While the official data for turnout has yet to be released, Polk County Auditor Jamie Fitzgerald tweeted shortly before 3 p.m. Tuesday that more than 32,000 residents had cast their ballot. In 2019, it took until 5 p.m. to hit that mark.
This year, many of the races were hotly contested with tackling incredibly divisive topics, like how to handle COVID-19. Many voters felt passionate about the issue, so some opened their wallets to donate to campaigns.
For example: three candidates running in the Ankeny School Board election raised over $10,000 each for their campaigns. For the director-at-large position with Des Moines Public Schools, three candidates raised more than $38,000 combined.
On top of the majorly-funded campaigns, central Iowans experienced more crowded races.
Political experts told Local 5 this can be traced back to the topics that have dominated school board meetings recently. Some of those meetings turned into hostile environments over COVID-19 policies, like mask-wearing and vaccine mandates, as well as debates over critical race theory.
***Polls close at 8 p.m. Tuesday***
View complete school board election results below
You can also find live election results at weareiowa.com/elections, by texting RESULTS to 515-457-1026 or by downloading the We Are Iowa app.
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