Linn County Auditor: Early voting numbers less than expected

CEDAR RAPIDS - In the final days before the election, early voting numbers aren't quite as robust as expected considering more than 70 candidates are running, including eight in the Cedar Rapids mayoral race, said Linn County Auditor Joel Miller.

'Some are new candidates who might not understand ... the need to get those early votes in the bank before Election Day,” Miller said. 'Nevertheless, I thought with that many candidates driving interest and their spheres of influence it would drive more early voting.”

Through Thursday, 2,778 people had requested ballots and 2,305 had returned those ballots. This includes people who've participated at satellite voting sites, at the Linn County Auditor's Office and by mail.

Early voting ends at 5 p.m. Monday, and voters can cast a ballot on Election Day, Tuesday from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. People can look up their precinct online at Linncountyelections.org/lookup.

The auditor's office, which staffs up significantly during election season, has sent workers home early some days because it's been slow, Miller said.

He points to the near 500-ballot gap in the number requested and received to support that rational indecisiveness may exist among voters.

'I would think, here we are four days out and people still haven't made up their mind,” Miller said. 'They are waiting until Election Day.”

Meanwhile, the races have all remained fairly positive and absent of personal attacks, which doesn't motivate voters as much as negative campaigns, he said.

'It has not been a polarizing election, which then leads people to have choices,” he said. 'There's nothing controversial aside from eight candidates running, and I think people are having a hard time.

'They're all good candidates,” Miller said. 'I don't think there's any big negatives on anybody. There's few incumbents. It's tough on voters.”

Looking at early voting numbers, this year's returned ballots are up about 55 percent compared to five days before the 2015 municipal election, and about 25 percent compared to five days before the 2013 municipal election, when the Cedar Rapids mayor was last on the ballot, according to auditor's office data.

Miller said he is sticking to an earlier prediction of 29 percent countywide turnout, which would double the turnout of 2015 and be the highest turnout since 2003 when 43.09 percent of Linn County registered voters participated.

'In the end, I think eight candidates for mayor will draw the voters out along with the other races,” he said.

He said higher turnout tends to favors lesser-known candidates because it means more new people are showing up to vote.

Miller anticipates multiple Cedar Rapids races will wind up in a runoff on Dec. 5, including the mayoral race, and if candidates are within 100 votes of each other he expects a call for a recount.

'People need to understand, there will be a runoff and you need to come back and vote in December,” he said of the Cedar Rapids races.

l Comments: (319) 339-3177; brian.morelli@thegazette.com