Iowa Voting & Election Day Result
Iowa is one of the biggest battle ground states in the country, and has been at the forefront of attention for decades when it comes to Election Day results. Even though Iowa auditors can begin counting mail-in ballots on October 31st, it may still take longer to process and tabulate the ballots in general.
Mail-in ballots have to be physically handled and tabulated into the voting system. Also absentee ballots can still legally be mailed and delivered on Election Day, as long as the envelope is postmarked on a date prior to November 3rd.
Iowa Early Voting Results
Why it takes longer for Election Day results in Iowa -
When it comes to seeing early voting result data in Iowa, the state is no exception to delays at the polls. Reasons such as long lines at physical polling locations, technical difficulties, understaffing, and other incidences can delay results. Even if the election numbers look extremely close, and everything goes smoothly with no mishaps, it still may take longer for a winner to be determined. Still, absentee ballots(mail-in) are the first voting data to be shown after the polls close on Election Day.
The New York Times' interactive map has a great tool for helping you determine when votes will be counted not only in Iowa, but every other state in the country.
Live data On IA Voting Results -
Many sources on the internet are capable of providing you with live Iowa election result data: Electproject is a valuable resource for find early voting statistics in Iowa. Nbcnews.com also provides you with election results in Iowa as well.
Polling and Forecasts for Senate Races -
Live polling and forecasts on U.S. Senate races can be found on a number of reliable websites that track this information for you, which are listed here:
Center For Politics
270towin
The Economist
Exit Polls -
The fastest way of seeing a live projection of voting results are exit polls. Even though the information isn't official, it will at least give you an idea of how the result of the election might turn out across all 50 states. Exit polls are taken randomly at different polling locations after voters have exited the polling station. These results are tallied and released prior Election Day. By doing so, it gives the nation a projection of where the final results might end up.
Edison Research compiles research for an exit poll called National Election Pool. It is a consortium of American news organizations (ABC News, the Associated Press, CBS News, CNN, FOX News and NBC News) that share the data. You can find election polling data for Iowa in the links listed above.
Election Winners & Recounts
When Elections Are Called -
Once voting results are made live, the exact date when an election is called isn't always black and white. This is due to the fact that recounts can happen, and they can put a serious delay on the election being finalized and called. A strong indicator of an election being called, is usually when news organizations such as Reuters and the Associated Press call it on their broadcasts or their publications.
What Happens After All Votes Have Been Counted?
After the counting finalizes, and a winner is determined, the losing candidate must give their concession speech. Their speech plays a crucial role in the finalizing process because this is when the candidate accepts the legitimacy of the election results. After the concession speech, the winning candidate delivers their speech acknowledging the same. Then, the president is sworn in on January 20th or January 21st if the 20th falls on a Sunday. Members of congress are sworn in on the opening day of the new congress.
The swearing-in dates for state legislatures can be found at Ballotpedia.com.
IA Voting Results and Recounts -
Iowa does not require automatic recounts. Any candidate in Iowa can request a recount if the margin of victory separating the candidates is 50 votes or 1 percent of the total number of votes, or whichever is greater. The cost of the recount is covered by the state of Iowa. In other instances, the requesting candidate is responsible for the cost. These costs are refunded if the recount changes the outcome of the election.
Voters can request a recount by submitting a petition, but they must cover the cost. This petition must be signed by either the greater of not less than ten eligible electors, or a number of said group that equals one percent of the total number of votes cast. In either case, the voters making the request must cover the cost of the recount. The deadline for completion after the county canvass is 18 days.
An election official can also request a recount that is paid by the state. That is if they suspect the voting equipment malfunctioned or received reports of counting errors.
The Iowa Caucuses kick off the Presidential primary season with Democratic candidates vying for a share of the 41 delegates Iowa sends to the Democratic National Convention. While the total number of delegates up for grabs is relatively modest compared to larger states, the Iowa caucuses are vitally important for candidates since they mark the official start of the Presidential primary and a strong performance can be used as a springboard for a candidate as they move forward in the long nomination process.
The 2020 Caucuses are on Monday, Feb. 3 and begin at 7:00p.m. CST. A caucus can last upwards of two hours before a final count is tallied and reported to state party headquarters. Candidates are awarded delegates based off the percentage of people who caucused for them throughout the state, so long as they meet the fifteen percent "viability threshold."
Contrary to popular understanding, the Iowa Democratic Party doesn’t actually declare a winner on caucus night. Instead, the candidate who received the most “State Delegate Equivalents” is often declared the "winner" by local and national media.
Iowa is one of three states that holds a Presidential caucus. The caucuses are closed, which means a voter must be a registered Republican to participate in the Republican caucus and a registered Democrat to participate in the Democratic caucus.
Why the Iowa Caucuses Are Important
The Iowa caucuses can make or break a campaign, especially on the Democratic side. Since 2000, the winner has gone on to become the Democratic nominee in every single election.
While the total number delegates a candidate can win in Iowa is modest compared to large states like California and Texas, the press coverage that comes with doing well in Iowa can have a lasting impact on a campaign. Since the press tends to put far more weight on who "won" or "lost" the caucuses and not necessarily the exact number of delegates a specific candidate will be receiving, the results from the night will almost certainly divide the field into who has a realistic chance of going deep into the primary and who won't.
Because the results of the Iowa caucuses can have a reverberating effect on a Presidential campaign, it is no surprise that every major candidate spends an extensive amount of time meeting with Iowans throughout the state in the months leading up to them and attempts to capitalize on any major endorsement they receive from prominent local and state politicians and local newspapers.
Who Can Participate in the Iowa Caucuses
Any Iowan who is a U.S. citizen, a resident of Iowa, will be 18 years old on or before November 3, 2020, and hasn't been convicted of a felony may participate in the Iowa caucuses. That means seventeen year old's may participate in a caucus as long as they will be 18 on or before election day.
If a caucus goer is not registered to vote they can do so on caucus night at their designated caucus site and any currently registered voter has the opportunity to change their party affiliation at their designated caucus site, as well.
Iowa Caucus Media Coverage
Cable news channels like CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and Bloomberg air extensive coverage the day of the Iowa caucus, discussing them from a variety of political angles and offering commentary on all the potential scenarios that could unfold.
Once all of the caucuses have concluded the results are reported to the state political parties and then to the press. Major networks like ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX will often interrupt regular programming to announce the winner of the caucuses, but will leave the in-depth coverage of the evening for the cable news channels to cover.
Every candidate who participated in the caucus typically gives some type of speech at the conclusion of the evening with the winner usually waiting to speak until all the other candidates have finished their speeches to supporters.
The candidate who wins the Iowa caucuses is all but guaranteed intense media coverage for an entire week since there is an eight-day break between the Iowa caucuses and the next state primary contest, so it is hard to overstate just how important the caucuses are for a campaign.