Iowa Democrats lead early voting, but not as much as 2012

DES MOINES - Democrats in Iowa lead Republicans in early voting as of Election Day, although by a smaller margin than the previous presidential election.

Democrats had cast 41,812 more early votes - a combination of absentee ballots and in-person early votes - than Republicans as of Election Day, according to updated figures from the Iowa Secretary of State's office.

But that advantage is lower than Democrats enjoyed in 2012, when Election Day figures showed Democrats had cast 68,359 more early votes than Republicans.

That means Republicans have chipped into Democrats' early-voting edge by more than 26,000 votes. In 2012, President Barack Obama defeated Republican Mitt Romney by roughly 92,000 votes.

When comparing Election Day 2016 to Election Day 2012, Iowa Democrats' early voting was down 8 percent, while Republicans' increased 2 percent.

Iowa's early voting figures are not final. More early votes will be counted, including absentee ballots mailed on or near Monday's deadline.

Historically, Democrats cast more early votes, and Republicans turn out better at the polls on Election Day.

Partisan political breakdowns of early voting does not take into account crossover votes - Democrats voting for Republican candidates and vice versa.