A panel made up of five of Iowa’s statewide elected officials voted unanimously Monday to certify the state’s 2024 election results, finalizing the counting of Iowans’ votes.
The state board of canvassers, led by Gov. Kim Reynolds, agreed to certify the results during a brief conference call. The statewide elected officials planned to sign off on the results for all state races when the official documents arrive at their offices.
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate thanked the board, as well as local election officials and poll workers across the state, for keeping the election safe and secure.
“As we wrap up the general election and certify the results, I want to take this opportunity to thank Iowans for participating and making their voices heard this election, because voting is the cornerstone of our democracy, and it’s always inspiring to see Iowans turn out in droves,” he said.
Reynolds thanked Pate for a “job well done.”
“I just want to say thank you to you and your team and to all the people that you acknowledged that continue to uphold the integrity of the election process in the state of Iowa,” she said.
Next, Iowa’s presidential electors are scheduled to meet Dec. 17 to cast the state’s six Electoral College votes for President-elect Donald Trump.
Pate said his office will also begin to prepare for the 2025 city and school elections, and will work during the upcoming legislative session to make more changes to Iowa’s election laws.
Voter turnout was high, but not record-breaking
Iowa’s official election results show 1,674,011 people voted, representing over 74% of registered voters.
Pate called that “very impressive and significant,” but turnout fell short of the record set in 2020, when 1,700,130 people voted, representing 75.8% of registered voters.
Just over 40% of voters cast an absentee ballot — which includes in-person early voting and voting by mail — in the 2024 general election, according to Pate. And for the first time since 2000, more registered Republicans cast absentee ballots than registered Democrats.
Pate said “a lot of variables” likely contributed to that reversal.
“It was very clear to me, at least on the Republican side, they were encouraged — it was an ok thing to do,” he said. “There was resistance four years ago to vote absentee by the Republican Party, to some extent, but I think they got much more comfortable with that, and that shifted that.”
Recounts affirm initial results
Four state-level recounts were completed before election results were certified and none of them changed the outcome.
Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks won the 1st Congressional District race by 799 votes, according to Iowa’s official results.
Democratic Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott won reelection by 29 votes, Republican Mike Pike won the Senate District 20 seat by 44 votes and Democratic Rep. Monica Kurth won reelection by 45 votes.
Pate said the recount in Miller-Meeks’ race went much more smoothly than in 2020, when she was ultimately declared the winner by a margin of six votes.
Possible election changes to be considered in 2025 legislative session
Pate said he wants the Iowa Legislature to make more changes to the state’s recount laws to avoid issues that came up in the 2020 recount.
“It’s one thing to do an election in your county and you decide what the rules are,” he said. “But when you’re doing it across county lines, each county needs to be playing by the same rules.”
Pate also said he is working on legislation related to checking the citizenship status of registered voters. He announced shortly before Election Day that people who appeared on a flawed list of more than 2,000 possible noncitizens would have their ballots challenged and would have to provide proof of citizenship.
“I’m probably looking at it more from a technical side to make sure it goes smoother, and I’m hoping that we’ll get more cooperation from the federal government,” Pate said.
He has blamed the federal government for not releasing a much smaller, verified list of possible noncitizen registered voters. Pate said legislation on this topic should ensure his office has access to certain information from state and federal agencies that can be cross-checked with voter registration data to ensure all voters are eligible to vote.
