Iowa cast more ballots in Tuesday's general election than in any previous midterm, with more than 1,380,528 residents voting. That total eclipsed the 2018 record of 1,329,930 votes.
Measured by participation rate, the state came close but fell just short of a record. Preliminary figures put turnout at 63.34% of registered voters, compared with 63.47% in 1990. Secretary of State Paul Pate called it the largest midterm in Iowa in three decades.
The heavy turnout came alongside major Democratic gains. Preliminary results show Rob Sand winning the governor's race and Josh Turek winning a U.S. Senate seat. Democrats will represent three of Iowa's four congressional districts in January, replacing a federal delegation that is now entirely Republican.
Down the ballot, Democratic challenger Nate Willems unseated Republican Attorney General Brenna Bird. In the open race for state auditor, Taylor Wettach held the lead.
Pate, a Republican who won his own reelection, said the outcome reflected both a national climate favorable to Democrats and strong voter engagement in Iowa. He cautioned against reading it as a party-line sweep, noting that Republicans held on to majorities in both chambers of the Legislature.
I don’t think it was a Democrat wave or a Republican wave. This was a wave based on the candidates and their messaging.
Paul Pate, Iowa secretary of state
The results echo 2018. Both elections were midterms during President Donald Trump's two terms, and both delivered significant Democratic wins in Iowa.
Early voting surge
Pate said early voting climbed sharply this cycle, driven mostly by people voting in person rather than returning absentee ballots by mail. He attributed part of the increase to unease about the voting process this year.
Among those concerns, Pate pointed to Trump's effort in 2026 to curb mail voting through the Postal Service, as well as worries about Justice Department election monitors being posted at polls on Election Day. He said he expects early turnout to remain high.
Pate is now pushing to add five days to the early voting window. He said county auditors need the extra time to get absentee ballots ready to mail.
He and the auditors also plan logistical changes to avoid the hourslong waits some voters faced before Election Day, possibly including more satellite voting sites. Pate said those discussions will begin in December so that any needed legislation is ready when lawmakers convene in January.
