State Detail IOWA
- Iowa key fact #1: In 2012, there are an estimated 471,000 18-to 29-year-old citizens eligible to vote in Iowa. [1]
- Iowa key fact #2: In 2012, an estimated 57.1% of young people in Iowa cast a ballot. This is a decrease when an estimated 63.40% of young people in Iowa cast a ballot. [2]
- Iowa key fact #3: In 2012, an estimated 67.7% of young people were registered to vote in IA.2
| 18-to-29 year-old eligible to vote in the 2012 election | 18-to-29 year-old turnout in 2012 | 18-to-29 year-old turnout in 2008 (most recent) | 18-to-29 year-old turnout in 2004 (most recent election in which only one party had a competitive primary) | 18-to-29 year-old turnout in 1996 (most recent in which only Republicans had a competitive primary) | |
| Iowa | 471,000 | 57.1% | 63.4% | 59.5% | 44.1% |
Below is more information about youth in Iowa: 2008 Iowa Caucus | Presidential Elections | Midterm Elections | Voter Registration
Historical Information about Young Voters in Iowa (ages 18 to 29) from State Exit Polls (1996-2008)| 2012 | 2008 | 2004 | 2000 | 1996 | |
| Young Voters Party Identification | |||||
| Democratic Party | NA | 37.85% | 34.21% | 31.71% | 30.22% |
| Republican Party | NA | 30.88% | 31.45% | 34.29% | 29.31% |
| Independent | NA | 24.99% | 31.07% | 30.16% | 35.60% |
| Political Ideology of Young Voters | |||||
| Liberal | NA | 28.70% | 28.15% | 27.04% | 25.28% |
| Moderate | NA | 37.78% | 43.89% | 40.56% | 44.49% |
| Conservative | NA | 33.52% | 27.96% | 32.39% | 30.22% |
| Vote Choice | |||||
| Democratic Candidate | 56% | 60.86% | 53.49% | 46.23% | 48.52% |
| Republican Candidate | 40% | 36.40% | 45.68% | 49.96% | 39.51% |
| Other Candidate | 4% | 2.74% | 0.83% | 3.82% | 11.96% |
Longitudinal Graphs for Voter Turnout among 18-to 29-year-olds and 30+ in Iowa
MIDTERM ELECTIONS
28.8% of Iowa youth turned out to vote in 2010. This was above the national youth turnout, but not the highest state youth turnout in 2010.
Source: The Youth Vote in 2010
2008 IOWA CAUCUS
- Youth turnout in the 2008 Iowa caucuses (Democratic & Republican combined) more than tripled when compared to 2004 and 2000.
- There were roughly 52,500 youth who participated in the Democratic caucuses in 2008 and 12,600 youth who participated in the Republican caucuses.
- 87% of 17-to-24 year-old caucus-goers in 2008 were doing so for the first time.
- The youngest Republican caucus participants (17-24) were less likely to describe themselves as very conservative than other Republican caucus-goers (30 percent v. 45 percent), and more were self-described “moderates.”
Voter turnout estimates for the Iowa Caucuses
| 17-to-29 year-old turnout | Overall turnout rate | |
| 2008 | 13 percent | 16 percent |
| 2004 | 4 percent | N/A |
| 2000 | 3 percent | N/A | 1996 | 3 percent | N/A |
In 2008 Iowa had one of the highest state youth voter registration rates at 73%. This was the highest youth voter registration had been since before 1980.
Source: Voter Registration Among Young People in 2008
Footnotes
[1] CIRCLE analysis of U.S. Census, Current Population Survey, 2011 March Basic Supplement
[2] CIRCLE analysis of U.S. Census, Current Population Survey, 2008 November Voting and Registration Supplement
[3] CIRCLE analysis - Estimated voter turnout is obtained by taking the estimated number of votes cast and dividing it by the estimated population of citizens in that age group from the Current Population Survey.
Longitudinal Graphs for Voter Turnout among 18-to 29-year-olds and 30+ in Iowa
