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UpdateIowaWednesday, October 28, 2026

Nearly 90% of absentee ballots in Iowa had been returned by late October

Reporting by
KCCI
“Nearly 90% of absentee ballots in Iowa have been cast, per Iowa Secretary of State's Office”, Wednesday, October 28, 2026
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What happened

Of the 380,567 absentee ballots issued, 338,882 had been received back, amounting to 89.05%. Democrats accounted for 164,649 of those returned ballots, Republicans for 112,022, and those with no party affiliation or other designation for 62,211.1

338,882
absentee ballots received1
380,567
absentee ballots issued1
What it means in Iowa

When absentee ballots must arrive

Absentee ballots must be received before 8 p.m. on Election Day.2

Key dates in Iowa

Election Day in 4 days
  1. Wed, Oct 14 · passed
    Early voting begins
  2. Mon, Oct 19 · passed
    Last day for mail ballot applications
  3. Tue, Nov 3 · 4 days
    Election Day; Registration deadline; Mail ballots must arrive
  4. Mon, Nov 16 · 17 days
    County/Local certification
  5. Mon, Nov 30 · 31 days
    State certification

Every date in Iowa, and who certifies the election

More on this story
Iowa · Oct 29
Iowa early voting entered final week before November 3 election
Reporting by Little Village Magazine
Iowa · Oct 25
Johnson County, Iowa, brought voting to a high school football game
Reporting by KCRG News (Cedar Rapids)
The answers behind this
Mail and early votingVoting in Iowa, 2026Who certifies the election in Iowa, and by when?When does a mail ballot have to arrive to count?

Explore this issue

OverviewUpdates In depthIowa law gives workers up to two hours off to vote with approval In depthDOJ official said 1,000 election monitors will be deployed for midterms In depthArizona Proposition 144 would change mail-in voting rules In depthJustice Department requested to send election monitors to Virginia In depthKalamazoo County opened four early voting sites through Sunday In depthAlabama reminded voters of Election Day rules on phones and selfies In depthAlabama county added eighth vehicle registration kiosk In depth933,000 mail ballots returned in Pennsylvania as of October 28 In depthFlorida directed voters to state site to check registration In depthOhio voters to decide on adding photo ID requirement to constitution In depthFlorida news program debunked 39 voting myths in October 2026 In depthWHSV published voter guide for Virginia and West Virginia 2026 races

Sources

  1. KCCI, https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMipwFBVV95cUxOOEE4TFdBNl81dmowb1N4TTlKX1gySS1JdzFnNHBRSWRDbTJUaFU2elZ6LUlPZEZROUdwTVZ0aEgyVUV6TUFqTEhmclFJdHozUV9OSzF1bklQWEFuYjdPWm9hZmZidnNkNlY4ZTV0M0xoVTJMMWJERzFPNW1GMFdWZUl2LU5JdGFpQ1E3OV9wX1J6R24wa2pNYjU5cFFfWDNTZXRITWI3SQ?oc=5 · Wednesday, October 28, 2026
  2. Vote.org, Iowa Election Center, https://www.vote.org/state/iowa/

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