Iowa’s 2018 General Election Results Are Certified

The State Canvassing Board officially certified the results of Iowa’s 2018 general election on Monday.

“I would like to thank all Iowans who made their voices heard in the 2018 election,” Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said. “Iowans turned out in records numbers and we remain one of the top states in the country for voter participation.”

Below are some statistics from the Iowa 2018 general election:

• Total voter turnout was 1,334,279. That is a state record for the most voters in a midterm election.
• Voter turnout percentage was 61.55%. That is the highest for an Iowa midterm election since 1994.
• Ringgold County led the state in highest turnout percentage, with 71.49%. The second highest was Harrison County (68.57%), followed by Dallas (68.13%), Warren (67.88%), Sioux (67.42%), Fayette (67.11%), Polk (66.77%) and Linn (66.32%).
• Every county in Iowa surpassed 50% in voter turnout. The lowest was 52.53%. 
• 547,205 voters cast absentee ballots, a record high for a midterm election. 
• 41.01% of voters cast absentee ballots, on par with the 2016 and 2014 elections. 
• Jefferson County had the highest percentage of absentee voters, with 56.64%. Winneshiek County was second with 55.79% and Dickinson County was third with 50.03%.
• Nine legislative races were decided by 500 votes or less. The closest was House District 55, decided by nine voters. House District 82 was decided by 37 votes.

Pate also addressed an attempt by Democrat candidate Kayla Koether to delay the certification of the Iowa House District 55 race which had a recount along with Iowa House District 82.

“Early this morning, the Honorable Scott J. Beattie issued his order denying Ms. Koether’s request to delay the certification of the November 6 election. Today, we officially certified those results,” Pate said.

“Winneshiek County Auditor Ben Steines followed the law. Iowa Code is clear on this matter. Absentee ballots that arrive after Election Day and do not contain postmarks, nor a county-specific Intelligent Mail Barcode, are not eligible to be counted.  

“The Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb) tracing program for absentee ballots was introduced to the Iowa Legislature by my office and signed into law in 2016. We were one of the first states in the nation to authorize use of this method for tracking voted absentee ballots. IMb tracing is a system in which the county auditor prints a unique IM barcode on each return absentee envelope, which allows tracking through the U.S. postal service. Iowa law authorizes IMb tracing as an option for counties, but it is not a requirement. The system is in use in six Iowa counties. Winneshiek County is not one of those,” Pate concluded.

Update: Iowa House District 55 is not settled yet.