Autoplay
Show Thumbnails
Show Captions
Ron Westercamp arrived at his polling place on Tuesday about 45 minutes before the polls opened. A blue camping chair in hand, he staked out a spot on the sidewalk, chatting with other voters as he sat down, prepared to wait as long as it would take to cast his vote in person.
Quickly, the line behind him grewto about 300 people, stretching through the parking lot and onto a residential street behind Ankeny First United Methodist Church.
Despite the surging COVID-19 pandemic, the story was the same throughout Polk County and across Iowa on Election Day, as voters lined up early to cast their ballots in an election that already had set statewide early voting records.In Council Bluffs, a 2-hour wait was reported at one polling station.
Within 2hoursTuesday,32,344 voters had cast ballots in person in Polk County, according to auditor Jamie Fitzgerald.
By 3:30 p.m. the number had reached 80,000.
A final statewide count was not due until late Tuesday, but Secretary of State Paul Pate said he expected a record turnout.
Precinct worker Terri Gideon of Indianola lays out I Voted stickers at the Annett Nature Center in Indianola on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.(Photo: Bryon Houlgrave/The Register)
One Des Moines precinct captain said voting officials hadtold herit wouldn't be a busy day since so many people already had voted early. Instead, Sherry Folwell said, Tuesday broughtlong lines, a lot of newly registeredvotersand a vote-counting machine that broke down twice before noon because itsballot feeder was off-kilter.
"This is 2020 nothing is normal," she said.
Westercamp, 67, said he expected there to be a line, which is why he showed up early he needed to get voting out of the way before reporting to his jobas an appliance repairman. The Trump supportersaid there was no question he would cast his ballot in person this year, as he has every year.
"That's the way I've always done it," he said. "And I feel like it's more secure."
Other Iowans who voted in person voiced similar sentiments, saying they wanted to be there in person to see their votes fed into the automated counting machinesamid national concerns that mail-in ballots would not arrive in time to be counted if at all. President Donald Trump himself had discouraged mail-in voting, citing unverified reports of voter fraud, while former Vice President Joe Biden has encouraged Americans to vote however they feel comfortable.
Witnessing their vote being counted was of such importance to Traci Richison and Dawn Garrett that, when thevote counterat First Church of the Open Bible in Des Moines went down,they decided to wait an hour and 10 minutes for it to be fixed so they could personallyfeed their ballots into the machine.
Voters line up to cast ballots at the Jester Park Outdoor Recreation & Wellness Center in Granger, Iowa, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.(Photo: Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register)
Poll workers directed voters to place their ballots ina box, and said the votes would be recorded once the machine was workingagain.ButRichisonandGarrett wanted to do it themselves.
"I just feel like I want to make sure that it's in there. You know, you're skeptical,"Richison said."And I'd just much rather wait for it to get fixed so I know that it's fed and counted."
"I completely agree," Garrett added. "I mean, this is an important election and I don't want to leave it up to chance."
Danielle Baumler, 23, waited about 45 minutes in an estimated 100-person line at Lutheran Church of Hope in Ankeny before checking in to vote. She arrived right as the polls opened at 7 a.m.
"I came in expecting to wait an hour or 2hours, so it'sgoing faster than I thought it was going to," she said.
Baumler, who is in the middle of wedding planning, said she was too busy to cast a vote early.She said that with her wedding scheduled later this month, she's been paying attention to the rising COVID-19 cases in Iowa, but felt confident voting in person was safe, givenU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance.
Mask wearing in the line, which stretched throughout the parking lot, was sporadic. Masks were not required in Iowa polling places on Election Day, and Baumler herself was not wearing one.
Precinct captain Emilee Stripe wipes down a table at the West Des Moines law enforcement center on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.(Photo: Bryon Houlgrave/The Register)
Poll workers were supposed to sanitize voting stations between each use,and hand sanitizer was provided near ballot counting machines and the "I Voted"stickers.
That proved to be a problem in some precincts, where the sanitizer gunkedup machines. In some instances, machines were rejecting ballots that had too much hand sanitizer on them a problemthe CDC warned about in its votingguidance.
Most voters the Des Moines Register surveyed said they felt safe in the lines, where voters generally maintained safe social distance.
But James Welty said once he was inside his precinct at the Fort Des Moines United Methodist Church on Des Moines' south side, all spacing went out the window. He said about 25 people waiting for a voting booth to open were "jammed into a very tight space."
He described the situation as "super spreader to the max."
But for some, the pandemic was the No. 1 reason to show up and vote. Chloe Gamble, a 29-year-old Des Moines resident who voted for Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris, said she lost two jobs on the same day, March 17, when Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered businesses across the state to shut down in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19.She had worked in the hospitality industry and at a podiatry clinic, but now is struggling to make ends meet.
Chloe Gamble after voting Tuesday afternoon at Polk County River Place.(Photo: Rood, Lee)
"For me, it's primarily about the handling of the coronavirus. The lack of a second stimulus bill has really impacted my life and the lives of many of my friends," she said.
"People out there just need help."
Radenko Stanisk, a retired construction worker who came to Iowa from Bosnia 23 years ago,said he decided to vote for Trump this year after supporting Democrats in the past.
Although people complain about the pandemic, Stanisk said, the country and the economy had been on a better track with Trump.
"I voted for (President Barack) Obama, and he didn't help the middle class," he said. "In fact,I paid a penalty because I had no health insurance when I was a construction worker."
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Kim Norvell covers growth and development for the Register. Reach her at knorvell@dmreg.com or 515-284-8259. Follow her on Twitter @KimNorvellDMR.
Lee Rood's Reader's Watchdog column helps Iowans get answers and accountability from public officials, the justice system, businesses and nonprofits. Reach her atlrood@registermedia.com, at 515-284-8549, on Twitter at@leeroodor on Facebook atFacebook.com/readerswatchdog.
Read or Share this story: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2020/11/03/election-day-brings-long-lines-iowa-despite-record-early-voting/6124125002/
- Apartments to Replace 19th Century Church in Williamsburg - Brownstoner - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Saint Patrick Church reopens three years after a fire - WFMJ - March 23rd, 2024 [March 23rd, 2024]
- Sale of church building to benefit two congregations - Central Penn Business Journal - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Historic Reflection: Pioneer Methodist Episcopal Church - The Village Reporter - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Church-to-treatment center project up for approval in St. Cloud - Finance and Commerce - February 7th, 2024 [February 7th, 2024]
- Fort Scott parishioners will return 'home' after construction of new church is finished - Catholic Diocese of Wichita - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Areas to open on Temple Square; Assembly Hall to close amid construction - FOX 13 News Utah - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Temples in 2023: 8 groundbreakings but temple growth not slowing - Church News - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Construction Initiative Supports Church Growth in the Peruvian Amazon - Adventist Review - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Historic Black Waco congregation, growing Hispanic church swap buildings - Waco Tribune-Herald - January 5th, 2024 [January 5th, 2024]
- Renovations update school gym built in the 1950s - Intermountain Catholic - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- Church of Jesus Christ recaps year of global charity, temple proliferation - Standard-Examiner - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- For churches devastated by Middle TN tornadoes, recovery reshapes their commitment to ministry - Tennessean - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- Council Bluffs' Holy Family Church to be closed and sold - The Daily Nonpareil - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- Donated property for Habitat 'cluster' home draws mixed reactions - Oklahoma City Friday - May 7th, 2023 [May 7th, 2023]
- Community Board 3 to Hear Details of Proposed 20-Story Tower ... - The Lo-Down - May 7th, 2023 [May 7th, 2023]
- Plans for the Boltex Building and Belle Reve at Walker and Church - Tribeca Citizen - May 7th, 2023 [May 7th, 2023]
- Non-profit working to meet demand in affordable housing for seniors ... - WOSU Public Media - May 7th, 2023 [May 7th, 2023]
- Inside Westminster Abbey, the heart of British monarchy, and site of King Charles coronation - Firstpost - May 7th, 2023 [May 7th, 2023]
- New Stakes and Stake Presidencies Announced in April 2023 - Church Newsroom - May 7th, 2023 [May 7th, 2023]
- Brodsky Partners With Avery Hall on Gowanus Development - The Real Deal - May 7th, 2023 [May 7th, 2023]
- The Dart: Ford plants roots locally with a quiet life in mind - Daily ... - Dailyleader - May 7th, 2023 [May 7th, 2023]
- Upper Saddle River residents protest Jewish development on NY ... - NorthJersey.com - May 7th, 2023 [May 7th, 2023]
- Marvin Repinski: My boat is so small, the sea is so big - Austin Daily ... - Austin Herald - May 7th, 2023 [May 7th, 2023]
- This Chinatown is divided by a freeway. A bold project could reunify the community - The Guardian US - May 7th, 2023 [May 7th, 2023]
- Sedona Airport begins new round of construction and public input - Sedona Red Rock News - May 7th, 2023 [May 7th, 2023]
- Governor Hochul Announces $875 Million in Financing For 3100 ... - ny.gov - May 7th, 2023 [May 7th, 2023]
- Portion of Queen St. closed until 2027 for Ontario Line construction ... - NOW Toronto - May 7th, 2023 [May 7th, 2023]
- Died: Rachel Kerr James, Missionary Nurse to War-Torn Vietnam ... - ChristianityToday.com - May 7th, 2023 [May 7th, 2023]
- Albion native chronicles rise and fall of Medina Sandstone industry - Orleans Hub - May 7th, 2023 [May 7th, 2023]
- On the Porch | News, Sports, Jobs - Marshall Independent - April 21st, 2023 [April 21st, 2023]
- Powerhouse Church in 1, 000 capacity auditorium construction project ... - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Construction begins on new Victory Church | CIProud.com - CIProud.com - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- California Churches Want to Build Affordable Housing on Their Land, So Why Is It So Hard? - KQED - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Construction to begin at new Elmwood Village playground - WGRZ.com - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- First Presidency names 2 temples: Teton River Idaho and Birmingham England - Church News - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Why, for Latter-day Saints, the Washington D.C. Temple is the bedrock of the community - Church News - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Catholic Charity Rallying for Support to Fund Construction of Marian Shrine in Angola - ACI Africa - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Heres the latest on I-69 construction in Johnson County - Daily Journal - August 20th, 2022 [August 20th, 2022]
- Next phase of Huron Church construction announced, to include repairs from Tecumseh to Dorchester Road - CTV News Windsor - August 4th, 2022 [August 4th, 2022]
- Central Texas church recovering from tornado in April and now alleged theft - 25 News KXXV and KRHD - August 4th, 2022 [August 4th, 2022]
- Biden continues construction along parts of border wall started by Trump - Crux Now - August 4th, 2022 [August 4th, 2022]
- Hafners' are 2022 "Friends of the Fair" - Philip Pioneer Review - August 4th, 2022 [August 4th, 2022]
- Bucharest Archdiocese Welcomes Order to Demolish Building Near Cathedral - The Tablet Catholic Newspaper - August 4th, 2022 [August 4th, 2022]
- Southeast Park Improves Accessibility; Businesses Around the Hidden River Construction are Open; and Installation of ADA-Compliant Ramps Continues |... - August 4th, 2022 [August 4th, 2022]
- Kiambaa Church Pastor Narrates How They Were Forced to Change Its Name - Kenyans.co.ke - August 4th, 2022 [August 4th, 2022]
- Radical overhaul of major diocese announced in plan to help parishes cope with dwindling number of priests - Independent.ie - August 4th, 2022 [August 4th, 2022]
- On its 100th anniversary, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral Moves the Bones of Its First Priest to Charlotte - From the Archdiocese - Greek... - August 4th, 2022 [August 4th, 2022]
- Construction continues on what will be the largest ... - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Temple takes shape: Sacred space will be first of its kind in Arkansas - Arkansas Online - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Recipients of 2022 Alumni Awards announced - The Baylor Lariat - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- James Matthew Peter Hughes, 54, Orange - The Record Newspapers - TheRecordLive.com - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Gov. Wolf Announces $25 Million Investment in Economic Recovery for Abandoned Mine Lands - pa.gov - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Road report: KYTC District 6 update on this week's construction projects; be alert to delays, closures - User-generated content - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- $11.8 million in Bluffton construction permits issued in 2021 - Bluffton Icon - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Baton Rouge Symphony finally returns to the River Center Theatre with a packed spring season - [225] - 225 Baton Rouge - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Alessandro Bruno Obituary - The Record/Herald News - NorthJersey.com - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Parishes partner with Habitat for Humanity to take on LAs homeless crisis - Angelus News - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Letters to the Editor: Housing, environment and the bishop of Fall River - Cape Cod Times - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Converted Summerhill church ticked all the right boxes - The Globe and Mail - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Mexicos Mayan Train: Will it hurt those its meant to help? - The Christian Science Monitor - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Structural issues at arts center an 'existential threat' to building, mission - The Suffolk News-Herald - Suffolk News-Herald - January 25th, 2022 [January 25th, 2022]
- Massive Restoration Of Logan Square's 109-Year-Old 'Red Church' Nearly Complete - Block Club Chicago - November 16th, 2021 [November 16th, 2021]
- With a Veto by the Mayor, the Buckhead Church Development Hits a Snag - What Now Atlanta - November 16th, 2021 [November 16th, 2021]
- New Coffee House Opening in Rock Island Mall - WQAD.com - November 16th, 2021 [November 16th, 2021]
- Gregory Wilder: Could the LDS Church single-handedly solve world hunger? - Salt Lake Tribune - November 16th, 2021 [November 16th, 2021]
- James Marvin Anderson Jr. | News, Sports, Jobs - The Journal - NUjournal - November 16th, 2021 [November 16th, 2021]
- John Martin Bell, 91 - Southern Maryland News Net - Southern Maryland News Net - November 16th, 2021 [November 16th, 2021]
- MON AM News: UW-Madison student team awarded $250,000 for carbon dioxide removal; Researchers discover 'unprecedented' chemical reaction -... - November 16th, 2021 [November 16th, 2021]
- Church proposing multi-family development at Custer Road and Legacy Drive in Plano - Community Impact Newspaper - October 5th, 2021 [October 5th, 2021]
- Bell Tower Green Park will open Friday after years of fundraising, construction - Salisbury Post - Salisbury Post - October 5th, 2021 [October 5th, 2021]
- Secondary glazing installed at renovated Cambridge Church - Planning, BIM & Construction Today - October 5th, 2021 [October 5th, 2021]
- Construction Begins on RapidRide G Line to Open in 2024 - southseattleemerald.com - October 5th, 2021 [October 5th, 2021]
- Father Justin DuVall, OSB, St. Meinrad Archabbey - The Herald - October 5th, 2021 [October 5th, 2021]
- Light is the task when many share the toil quilting 2021 - St. James Plaindealer - October 5th, 2021 [October 5th, 2021]
- Falkville welcomes everyone to fall festival Oct. 9 - The Hartselle Enquirer - Hartselle Enquirer - October 5th, 2021 [October 5th, 2021]
- Fresno preps tougher rules for construction on historic buildings amid controversy - The San Joaquin Valley Sun - October 5th, 2021 [October 5th, 2021]
- 740 apartments in 3 projects, all in Arden, on board's Oct. 13 agenda - Citizen Times - October 5th, 2021 [October 5th, 2021]
- Latter-day Saints react to new temples in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming - Deseret News - October 5th, 2021 [October 5th, 2021]
- No July 4 Fireworks for 2nd Year in a Row Due to School Construction - Falls Church News Press - July 2nd, 2021 [July 2nd, 2021]