Bleeding Heartland is updating the early voting numbers (absentee ballots requested and returned) statewide and in each of Iowa’s four Congressional districts, based on figures released by the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office. Click here for previous tables, which make it easier to spot trends in the numbers.

Since Friday, Republicans cut further into the Democratic advantage in ballot requests, which now stands at just under 37,000 statewide. Democrats claim that the majority of some 44,000 no-party voters who have requested ballots were identified by their organizers. There is no way to independently verify that claim, but it was true in 2012.

Based on turnout the last two midterm elections, the 221,701 Iowans who have requested absentee ballots for this year’s election probably account for about 20 percent of all voters who will cast a ballot.

Absentee ballots requested by Iowa voters as of October 5, 2014

Congressional district	Democrats	Republicans	no-party voters	Libertarian	Iowa Green	total
IA-01	28,183	14,813	12,793	51	35	55,875
IA-02	31,012	17,425	13,062	45	46	61,590
IA-03	28,360	18,976	10,026	56	33	57,451
IA-04	19,319	18,919	8,503	28	16	46,785
statewide	106,874	70,133	44,384	180	130	221,701

Absentee ballots received by Iowa county auditors as of October 5, 2014

Congressional district	Democrats	Republicans	no-party voters	Libertarian	Iowa Green	total
IA-01	10,064	5,811	3,382	20	7	19,284
IA-02	10,231	5,930	3,107	13	12	19,293
IA-03	8,357	5,657	2,133	13	6	16,166
IA-04	7,084	6,525	2,352	7	5	15,973
statewide	35,736	23,923	10,974	53	30	70,716