Iowa early voting suggests lagging enthusiasm

At roughly the midpoint of Iowa’s lengthy early-voting period, ballot requests and returns offer ammunition for both parties to claim lagging enthusiasm by opponents' voters.

The Democratic early-vote machine is running ahead of its 2014 midterm numbers but is underperforming its success in the 2012 presidential race. The Republican effort is generating more ballot requests than in 2012 but is finding less success in getting those votes to the ballot box.

As of Thursday — the 22nd day of Iowa’s 40-day voting window, which began in late September and runs through Nov. 7 — Democrats had banked 114,737 votes from their registered voters statewide, compared with 75,782 votes cast by registered Republicans.

So, Democrats dominate at this point. But there's more to the story.

Read more: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2016/10/21/iowa-early-voting-suggests-lagging-enthusiasm/92523804/