712 Digital Group - top

Election 2016 – the latest from IA (7-p.m.)

News

November 8th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

Iowa voters say the economy is the top issue facing the country, according to preliminary interviews of those leaving their polling places conducted for The Associated Press and television networks by Edison Research. More than half of voters going to the polls so far chose the economy as the top issue, followed by terrorism, immigration and foreign policy.

Four in 10 voters say the quality that matters most to them in a candidate is the ability to bring needed change, while almost one-fourth said judgment, 2 in 10 said experience and 1 in 10 said they wanted someone who cares about people like them. When it comes to honesty, voters question both candidates: about 6 in 10 voters say they don’t think Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump is honest or trustworthy.

A total of 2,024 Iowa voters were interviewed in a random sample of 40 polling places statewide. Results were subject to sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points; it is higher for subgroups.

*************

A prosecutor in Des Moines says no charges will be filed against two residents who were suspected of trying to vote twice. Polk County Attorney John Sarcone said Tuesday that authorities have determined that there’s “no basis to go forward” due to lack of criminal intent. He says age and confusion were factors in the cases. Elections officials had referred three cases of attempted double-voting to police for investigation last month, during early voting.

Sarcone’s office has filed a felony election misconduct charge against 55-year-old Terri Rote, who told Iowa Public Radio that she voted twice for Donald Trump because she believed the election is rigged. Rote is scheduled to be arraigned next month. Secretary of State Paul Pate’s spokesman says the state isn’t aware of any other double-voting allegations.

*************

Iowa’s second largest county is reporting a huge voter turnout as of Tuesday afternoon. Linn County Auditor Joel Miller says turnout is on pace to hit 80 percent or higher in Cedar Rapids and the surrounding areas, if current trends continue. Miller says numbers that high are “hard to believe” but good for democracy.

He says that as of 3 p.m., about 84,000 county residents have voted early or at the polls. He expects that another 40,000 or more might vote before the polls close.