In a November 4 release, the Iowa Secretary of State reported 1,380,528 ballots cast as of Wednesday morning and participation equal to 63.34% of registered voters. Those figures describe a preliminary November 4 snapshot, not a newly updated November 5 count or a certified result.
Read the count and the rate separately
The ballot count measures participation across the election. It is not the vote total for a particular candidate or contest, and it does not establish a race outcome. Current race results and their individual sources remain in the results hub.
A turnout rate also depends on which registration total is used. The release says “registered voters” but does not specify whether its denominator includes inactive registrations. Iowa’s official 2018 turnout report separately reports rates for active registrations and total registrations. This note therefore does not treat the preliminary 2026 percentage as a directly comparable historical ranking.
We will distinguish the state’s later official turnout record from this dated announcement. Official election statistics and canvass records · Iowa Decides source coverage and reporting limits.