DES MOINES, Iowa — After a day of polling, counting and forecasting, voter turnout statistics are rolling in alongside projected winners.
Iowa's 2022 primary voter turnout hit near-record highs, according to Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate.
Tuesday night's election brought out an estimated 356,000 voters to the polls, marking the second-highest primary turnout since 1994.
Over 73,000 Iowans voted absentee by mailing in or dropping off an absentee ballot. This is the second-highest absentee voter turnout in state history, according to Pate.
Below is a breakdown of the unofficial numbers released:
- 356,000+ total voter turnout
- 73,000+ absentee voter turnout
- 195,355 Republican turnout
- 156,589 Democrat turnout
“I think it went fantastic,” Pate said in a press release. “I’ve got to compliment all the voters and our unsung heroes, those poll workers. They came through with flying colors. We saw thousands of Iowans coming out to have their voice heard and democracy in action.”
2022's primaries saw a nearly 123% increase compared to 2018.
"I usually don't always vote in the primary. As long as it was my party, I didn't care. But a candidate had called me and told me how important it is to vote even in the primary, and that's why I came out today," Karen Muelhaupt, a Dallas County voter, told Local 5 on Tuesday.
Polk County Auditor Jamie Fitzgerald released preliminary election turnout results as well.
Wednesday marks the start of the post-election audit. County officials will hand count a randomly-chosen precinct from each county in order to confirm tabulator results.
Iowa is one of 38 states to conduct post-election audits for transparency and security purposes.
To keep an eye on unofficial results as county officials begin to audit, visit this link from the Iowa Secretary of State.