Leading up to Tuesday’s mid-term election, much of the political talk around the state centered on turnout.

People across the state certainly decided to vote absentee at a higher rate than in the previous mid-term election in 2014. According to Iowa Secretary of State’s Office data, 538,043 Iowans voted absentee this year, compared to 475,402 in 2014, a difference of more than 60,000 votes.

The sense of high turnout was felt as early as mid-day Tuesday in Marshall County.

“I would say it’s much better than 2014,” said State Center poll official Nancy Figgins, who described turnout that day as “excellent.”

Republican and Democratic politicians also emphasized the importance of turnout in this year’s election.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said a so-called Democratic “blue wave” would “shut down anything that (President Donald) Trump wants to get done,” while he spoke with the Rotary Club of Marshalltown on Oct. 23.

He also said the controversial hearings regarding sexual assault allegations against U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh energized many Republicans who may not have otherwise been energized to vote.

Grassley was not on the ballot for this year’s elections, but traveled the state to support federal and state Republican candidates who were on the ballot.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Fred Hubbell also campaigned on getting out the vote. He lost his race with Gov. Kim Reynolds Tuesday in what was considered a toss-up contest.

“The winner is going to be the group that gets the most people to turn out and vote,” Hubbell said during an Oct. 8 visit to the Marshall County Democratic Party headquarters.

Mid-term elections generally see lower voter turnout than elections during presidential years. In total, 1,142,311 Iowans voted in the 2014 mid-term compared to 1,581,371 who voted in the 2016 general election.

According to Marshall County Auditor’s Office numbers, about 14,718 county voters cast a ballot Tuesday. All election numbers are unofficial until an official canvass is performed.

For more Iowa elections statistics, visit https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/otherinfo.html

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Contact Adam Sodders at

(641) 753-6611 or

asodders@timesrepublican.com