Continuing a Bleeding Heartland tradition, I am posting Iowa’s absentee ballot numbers, statewide and for each Congressional district, updated every day the Iowa Secretary of State’s office releases new figures.

You can compare this year’s numbers to daily charts from the last seven election cycles by clicking through to Bleeding Heartland’s archive of absentee ballot totals from 2024, 2022, 2020, 2018, 2016, 2014, and 2012. But use caution when comparing, because Iowans could vote early for 40 days through 2016, and for 29 days in 2018 and 2020. Republicans shortened the early voting period to the current 20 days as part of a wide-ranging effort to suppress early voting in 2021.

In addition, many Iowans (especially Democrats) are more wary of voting by mail this year than in the past. That’s partly because President Donald Trump has tried to interfere with U.S. Postal Service delivery of ballots, and partly because the 2021 law required all ballots to arrive at county auditors’ offices by 8:00 pm on election day. (Late-arriving ballots used to be counted if they were postmarked before election day.)

The upshot is that lower totals for mailed ballots do not necessarily reflect less interest in voting early.

Early voting began on October 14 this year, and the first report from the Iowa Secretary of State’s office appeared on October 15. The office changed the format of its daily absentee ballot reports on October 20. Since the new tables are much more comprehensive than previous incarnations, I am posting those below, rather than creating my own tables, as I’ve done in past years.

Here is the Congressional map:

October 30

Through October 29, county auditors had received 407,549 ballots (191,768 from Democrats, 137,899 from Republicans, 76,467 from no party voters).

At the same point in 2022, county auditors had received 292,506 ballots (154,052 from Democrats, 94,674 from Republicans, and 43,096 from no-party voters).

Votes banked through October 29 are equivalent to about a third of the 2022 general election turnout in Iowa. (I anticipate substantially higher turnout for this year’s midterms.) The first Congressional district continues to stand out with the most votes cast and the largest margin between Democrats and Republicans.

Statewide and Congressional early voting numbers pulled by the Iowa Secretary of State’s office on the morning of October 30 (click the links for totals by county, by state House district, and state Senate district as of that morning).

Totals in IA-01 on the morning of October 30:

Totals in IA-02 on the morning of October 30:

Totals in IA-03 on the morning of October 30:

Totals in IA-04 on the morning of October 30:

October 29

It’s likely that more than a quarter (but less than a third) of all Iowans who will participate in the 2026 midterms have already voted. County auditors have received 373,544 ballots, with IA-01 continuing to lead the way in total votes banked and Democratic margin. The GOP advantage in IA-04 has grown but remains smaller than the Democratic edge in each of the other districts.

Statewide and Congressional early voting numbers pulled by the Iowa Secretary of State’s office on the morning of October 29 (click the links for totals by county, by state House district, and state Senate district as of that morning).

Totals in IA-01 on the morning of October 29:

Totals in IA-02 on the morning of October 29:

Totals in IA-03 on the morning of October 29:

Totals in IA-04 on the morning of October 29:

October 28

County auditors have received 338,882 ballots. The largest Democratic lead is in IA-01, followed by IA-03 and then IA-02. Republicans have increased their small lead in IA-04.

Statewide and Congressional early voting numbers pulled by the Iowa Secretary of State’s office on the morning of October 28 (click the links for totals by county, by state House district, and state Senate district as of that morning).

Totals in IA-01 on the morning of October 28:

Totals in IA-02 on the morning of October 28:

Totals in IA-03 on the morning of October 28:

Totals in IA-04 on the morning of October 28:

October 27

County auditors have received 307,080 ballots, with Democratic leads widening in the first and second Congressional districts.

Statewide and Congressional early voting numbers pulled by the Iowa Secretary of State’s office on the morning of October 27 (click the links for totals by county, by state House district, and state Senate district as of that morning).

Totals in IA-01 on the morning of October 27:

Totals in IA-02 on the morning of October 27:

Totals in IA-03 on the morning of October 27:

Totals in IA-04 on the morning of October 27:

October 26

Following a heavy week of in-person voting at satellite locations in Polk County, ballots cast in IA-03 have surpassed the votes banked in IA-02. Democrats lead in early votes cast in three out of four U.S. House districts, but Republicans have cast more ballots in deep-red IA-04.

If total turnout exceeds 1.3 million in this election, the 265,803 votes banked through October 24 would make up around 20 percent of the total.

Statewide and Congressional early voting numbers pulled by the Iowa Secretary of State’s office on the morning of October 26 (click the links for totals by county, by state House district, and state Senate district as of that morning).

Totals in IA-01 on the morning of October 26:

Totals in IA-02 on the morning of October 26:

Totals in IA-03 on the morning of October 26:

Totals in IA-04 on the morning of October 26:

October 23

Ballots cast in the third Congressional district are starting to catch up to the U.S. House districts in eastern Iowa. That’s because Polk County (where the majority of IA-03 residents live) had no satellite voting locations open on October 14-16, but many operating the week of October 19.

Statewide and Congressional early voting numbers pulled by the Iowa Secretary of State’s office on the morning of October 23 (click the links for totals by county, by state House district, and state Senate district as of that morning).

Totals in IA-01 on the morning of October 23:

Totals in IA-02 on the morning of October 23:

Totals in IA-03 on the morning of October 23:

Totals in IA-04 on the morning of October 23:

October 22

Statewide and Congressional early voting numbers pulled by the Iowa Secretary of State’s office on the morning of October 22 (click the links for totals by county, by state House district, and state Senate district as of that morning).

Totals in IA-01 on the morning of October 22:

Totals in IA-02 on the morning of October 22:

Totals in IA-03 on the morning of October 22:

Totals in IA-04 on the morning of October 22:

October 21

Statewide and Congressional early voting numbers pulled by the Iowa Secretary of State’s office on the morning of October 21 (click the links for totals by county, by state House district, and state Senate district as of that morning).

Totals in IA-01 on the morning of October 21:

Totals in IA-02 on the morning of October 21:

Totals in IA-03 on the morning of October 21:

Totals in IA-04 on the morning of October 21:

October 20

Statewide and Congressional early voting numbers pulled by the Iowa Secretary of State’s office on the morning of October 20 (click the links for totals by county, by state House district, and state Senate district as of that morning).

IA-03 is lagging behind the Congressional districts in eastern Iowa, because Polk County didn’t have any satellite voting locations open until October 19. In contrast, several large counties in eastern Iowa operated satellite voting locations beginning on October 14.

Totals in IA-01 on the morning of October 20:

Totals in IA-02 on the morning of October 20:

Totals in IA-03 on the morning of October 20:

Totals in IA-04 on the morning of October 20:

Note: The Iowa Secretary of State’s office did not update early vote numbers on Monday, October 19.

October 16

Statewide and Congressional early voting numbers pulled by the Iowa Secretary of State’s office on the morning of October 16 (click the links for totals by county, by state House district, and state Senate district as of that morning). These tables are in the same format the office used in 2022 and 2024.

October 15

Statewide and Congressional early voting numbers pulled by the Iowa Secretary of State’s office on the morning of October 15, reflecting the first day of early voting on October 14. Click the links for totals by county, by state House district, and state Senate district as of that morning. These tables are in the same format the office used in 2022 and 2024.

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Top image of voters at the Iowa Memorial Union on October 14 was first published on the Facebook page of the Johnson County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections.