(SIOUX CITY, IA) Both President Obama and Mitt Romney agree that Iowa is a battleground state, and Democrats have been pushing people to vote before November 6th, but the difference in numbers between the two parties may surprise you.
The second day of early voting in Woodbury County is well underway, and so far the number of Republicans who requested ballots is just a quarter of the number of Democrats who want to vote absentee.
Woodbury County Auditor Pat Gill estimates more than 50% of votes in the county will be cast early.
"We've had a steady stream of voters coming into the courthouse, plus the requests that were getting over the counter and in the mail; it's a head of pace than what we did in 2008," Gill says.
Across Iowa, statistics show that out of all the voters who requested absentee ballots, 62% of them are Democrats, compared to just 15% Republican.
That trend is reflected in Woodbury County. Tom Szold, Communications Director for the Republican Party in Iowa says early voting is what Democrats do.
"We are aware that we're down in that area. The Democrats tend to focus much more on getting their base voters to get out there and absentee vote. And we see that as a sign that their worried that their base is disenchanted and may not show up for them on Election Day," says Szold.
Paul Gronke, director of the Early Voting Information Center in Oregon says the trend is just the opposite in North Carolina, the state that hosted the Democratic National Convention.
"Republicans are out-casting Democrats, but in North Carolina, it's only the by-mail ballots," Gronke says.
So is it too early to tell if these absentee ballot requests are a sign of what's to come? Gronke says yes.
"Right now its very, very early, and the question is going to be at what point are we going to think we've got enough information that we can make some sort of statement about what this means about the general election," he says.
Iowa is just two days into early voting so there is still plenty of time for Republicans to request an absentee ballot. Party officials say that their big push to encourage Republicans to go out and get their ballot is coming.
Republican Party officials told us voters will see a new mailer in the next week or so, and they plan on holding more events, like the one yesterday in Cedar Rapids called "Women for Mitt" - an early voting launch, to promote early and absentee voting.
You can reach reporter, Heather Leigh, at Hleigh@siouxlandnews.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/heatherleighkmeg
