MASON CITY — Cerro Gordo County voters are showing up early in substantially greater numbers than during the last midterm election, with in-person absentee voting running 43.4% ahead of the comparable point in 2022, according to a snapshot released by the county auditor’s office.
The comparison tracks activity through October 21, 2026, against October 26, 2022—putting both snapshots exactly 13 days before their respective Election Days.
The county reported 2,026 in-person absentee voters this year, compared with 1,413 at the same stage four years ago. That is an increase of 613.
Overall absentee ballot requests also climbed, reaching 3,790 compared with 3,478 in 2022, an increase of 312 requests, or 9%.
More voters showing up, fewer requesting ballots by mail
The biggest movement is in how people are choosing to vote before Election Day.
While in-person absentee activity increased sharply, mailed ballot requests fell to 1,739, down from 2,045 at the comparable point in 2022. That is a decline of 306 requests, or approximately 15%.
| Absentee voting measure | 2022 snapshot | 2026 snapshot | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total requests | 3,478 | 3,790 | Up 9.0% |
| In-person absentee | 1,413 | 2,026 | Up 43.4% |
| Mailed ballot requests | 2,045 | 1,739 | Down 15.0% |
The auditor’s cumulative chart shows in-person voting running ahead of the 2022 pace throughout the period displayed.
The snapshot does not explain why voters are shifting toward the in-person option. It also does not establish that final county turnout will surpass the last midterm election.
Requests increase across party groups
The auditor’s graphic shows absentee requests increasing across all four party-registration groups displayed.
Compared with the same point in 2022, requests increased by 153 among voters with no party affiliation, 129 among Republicans, 20 among Democrats and 10 among voters classified as other.
Democrats remained the largest group by total requests in the chart, followed by Republicans and voters with no party affiliation.
Those figures describe the registration of people requesting ballots. They do not reveal which candidates those voters support.
NorthIowaToday.com has tracked these patterns in past elections, including its 2012 coverage of absentee requests by party in Cerro Gordo County. This year’s auditor comparison uses the previous midterm election, 2022, as its benchmark.
What the numbers do—and do not—show
The auditor’s graphic states that its figures come from county absentee-request records, exclude voided records and reflect request or issuance methods rather than certified turnout or returned-ballot totals.
A mailed ballot request therefore should not be treated as a completed vote.
The displayed in-person and mailed figures also fall slightly short of the overall totals: by 25 requests in 2026 and 20 in 2022. The graphic does not identify the categories accounting for those differences.
For now, the clearest finding is that substantially more people are using in-person absentee voting at this stage of the campaign, while overall absentee requests are moderately higher.
November 3 election draws closer
The early-voting activity comes as North Iowa voters prepare to decide federal, state and local contests. Among the regional legislative races NIT has covered is the Iowa House District 60 matchup between Republican Dani Ollenburg and Democrat Alexander Schmidt. The district includes Clear Lake and western Cerro Gordo County.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The deadline to request a mailed absentee ballot passed October 19. In-person absentee voting remains available at the Cerro Gordo County Auditor’s Office, 220 N. Washington Ave. in Mason City, through Monday, November 2, at 5 p.m.
The county says absentee ballots must arrive by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be considered timely; a postmark alone does not meet that deadline. Voters can find precinct information and sample ballots on the county’s election website or call the auditor’s office at 641-421-3041.