Over the past several months, Pew collected data about the 2012 presidential election from nearly every state and the District of Columbia. We used the findings to create a snapshot of each jurisdiction, focusing on how many people voted, how long they waited to cast their ballots, how they cast them, and how many ballots were not counted. These snapshots will be released over the coming months, five at a time, and the Election Data Dispatches will take a closer look at the latest snapshots each week.
Although nationwide turnout fell in 2012, Iowa’s voter turnout increased slightly. In the general election, 70.2 percent of the state’s voting-eligible population cast ballots, compared with 69.7 percent in 2008. Nationally, turnout was 58.7 percent in 2012, down from 62.2 percent in 2008.
This was also the second presidential election in which Election Day registration was allowed in the state. More than 66,000 voters registered at the polls in 2012, up from approximately 46,000 voters in 2008.
Follow us on Twitter using #electiondata and get the latest data dispatches, research, and news by subscribing today.