Iowa Early & Absentee Voting Tracker — Nov 3, 2026 General BETA

Data as of: see below
How to read thisParty split = the registered party of voters who have already cast ballots, not who they voted for. Comparisons line up 2026 with past elections at the same number of days before Election Day. Early ballots are not a forecast of the result. Methods & sources

What the numbers say

Absentee ballots received, by days before Election Day

Cumulative statewide absentee ballots received by county auditors. In Iowa this includes in-person early votes (voted at the auditor's office or a satellite site) as well as mail ballots. 2026 in bold; dots = actual daily SOS reports (weekdays only, no interpolation; lines just connect reports).

Ballots added per report: last 7 reports

Change between consecutive 2026 SOS reports. A Monday report includes the weekend.

Same point in the early-voting period

Ballots received N days after early voting opened (20-day period in 2022–2026; 29 days in 2018, so 2018 opened earlier).

Who has returned ballots (registered party)

Share of ballots received, by party registration, at the closest report to the same days-out.

How 2026 ballots came in

Receipt method in the latest statewide report. In-person early voting = counter/in-office + satellite sites.

Data coverage & gaps

Sources & caveats

    • Iowa counts in-person early voting as absentee voting, so "received" = mail ballots received + in-person early votes. Past-cycle reports don't split out the method statewide.
    • 2018 isn't directly comparable: Iowa's early-voting window was 29 days (opened Oct 8, 2018). It was cut to 20 days starting in 2022, so 2018 had a much bigger head start at the same days-out.
    • Reports post on weekday mornings (data pulled ~3–4 AM ET) and replace the previous day's file. Each point is dated by the report date. Past cycles come from SOS archive PDFs that bundle every daily report.
    • Party = voter registration (Democrat, Republican, No Party; Libertarian/Green/other grouped as Other). Party splits are shown only where the county lines add up exactly to the state total.
    • When the SOS posted two versions on the same date, the later (larger) one is used.

    Law changes that affect comparisons

    Iowa shortened its early-voting window in 2021, so 2018 had a longer runway than 2022 and 2026.

    • 2021 · Senate File 413: early in-person voting and mailing of absentee ballots now start 20 days before Election Day (was 29); absentee ballots must be received by the county auditor when polls close on Election Day; counties can't mail absentee request forms unless the voter asks. Compare 2018 at the same days-out with care. Iowa Legislature: SF 413 · Scott County Auditor summary