Unofficial totals from last week’s election are out from the Secretary of State’s office, showing turnout among Iowa voters was down slightly compared to 2012.
The decrease was on the Democratic side
Officials say the numbers reflect the weaker support for Hillary Clinton compared to Barack Obama four years ago.
More than than one-and-a-half million Iowans voted this year.
“In terms of all registered voters turnout was 71.2 percent according to the data we have so far,” said Secretary of State spokesman Kevin Hall.
That compares to 73.3 percent in 2012.
Hall says Donald Trump got 70,000 more votes than Mitt Romney received in 2012, while Hillary Clinton received 170,000 fewer votes than those cast for Barack Obama, which Hall says helped push total turnout down.
Anything over 70 percent we're very pleased with
“I think what we saw overall the decrease was on the Democratic side for whatever reason,” Hall said.
Hall says early voting was down slightly for Democrats and Independents, but up for Republicans.
Forty percent of voters cast ballots early this year, compared to 43 percent four years ago.
Overall, Hall says his office was happy with the turnout.
“Anything over 70 percent we’re very pleased with,” Hall said.
Hall said turnout of so-called active voters was higher at 78 percent. That leaves out voters who are registered but have not voted in the past several elections.
