Late early vote counts shift House races

Early election results showed incumbent Democratic state Reps. Wes Whitead, Roger Wendt and Elesha Gayman losing their seats as the returns rolled in. A buzz of panic rippled through an Iowa City victory party: “Did we lose the House? Did we lose the House?” Iowa absentee ballot with outer envelope and secrecy envelope.

Iowa absentee ballot with outer envelope and secrecy envelope.

But the three incumbents had won re-election (assuming Whitead holds his six-vote lead) before the polls even opened. When the absentee results were added in, their early vote totals overcame the Election Day leads of their Republican challengers. It was like watching the second half of a ball game before seeing the score of the first half, making an early lead look like a come-from-behind win.

“We won on election night, and we lost when they opened the mailbox,” House Republican Leader Christopher Rants told the Des Moines Register. “Election Day is no longer 24 hours, it’s 24 days.” 40 days, to be exact, as state law allowed any Iowa to vote early beginning Sept. 25.

Democrats carried a 92,000 voter lead into Election Day out of the record 533,000 absentee and early ballot. In places where absentees were reported first, rather than last, Democrats jumped out to a big lead fast and saw the margin narrow.