LIVE 2012 ELECTION RESULTS*

*Not all races were final as of midnight Tuesday.

Our earlier coverage

Republican newcomer Jake Highfill of Johnston appears to have won the Senate District 39 seat vacated by Scott Raecker, according to unofficial numbers from the Polk County Auditor's office.

Election returns show Highfill with 9,212 votes to 8,457 for Democrat Kelsey Clark, also a political newcomer.

Highfill, 22, won the Republican primary over incumbent Erik Helland for the newly redistricted House 39 seat, which covers Johnston, Grimes and a portion of rural Polk County west of Saylorville Lake.

"It was a great win," Highfill said after the results came in. "I had one hell of an opponent, she worked her butt off." 

Highfill said he watched results come in with family and friends. 

"I'm really glad we won," he said. "I'm really excited to go to the capital. I'm looking forward to working with the House and I'm really, really excited it's overwhelming." 

Polk County Elections Office

Carl Wiederaenders, first deputy auditor at the Polk County Election office, said 90,000 or more people voted absentee or early, but that number could grow.

"Any mail that comes in tomorrow or the next day that is postmarked Monday will be counted," he said. He said 1,200 people votged in the office Saturday and again on Monday.

The No. 1 question of the day, particularly for Des Moines residents, has been where to vote. Precincts changed for 80 percent of the people in Polk County, Wiederaenders said.

He said he visited 40 precincts today to see how things were going and believes the polling workers were well-trained. Power was down at one precinct in Urbandale, but the voting machines have battery back-up.

Running Smoothly at Precinct 1
Things at Johnston Precinct 1, located at city hall, were going smoothly just in time for the after-work rush on Tuesday.

Judy Briles, precinct captain, said everything was going great.

"We've had a lot of same day registrations, but that's very common," she said as two different voters registered. "People have been pretty calm."

Brenda Smith, who's voted at precinct 1 since 2003, said she had no problems with voting.

"I think check-in maybe went a little smoother than in the past," she said.

Just after 5 p.m. the parking lot was waiting room only, while voters made a short line to cast their ballots.

"It's Our Civil Duty" 

Precincts four and five in Johnston were booming as the lunch hour approached on Tuesday.

Just before 11:30 a.m., voters were lining up at the door to find which precinct to vote for.

Marlin Darr, precinct four captain, said there was a long line as polls opened at 7 a.m. and a steady flow of voters had cast ballots since then.

The precinct, located at Johnston Evangelical Free Church, underwent a big change since the last general election.

"We used to be one big precinct but after the 2010 census they broke us into three," he said. "I've been here quite a long time, but this is new."

Darr said it was hard to gauge if traffic is as busy as previously.

Down the hall at precinct five, Tyler Simpson had just finished his ballot.

"It was real simple," Simpson, 22, said.

Simpson just moved from another swing state in Ohio.

"It's the first time I've voted," he said. "It's our civil duty, out jobs as citizens. I guess you don't have the right to complain."

Traffic Steady at New Johnston Precinct Location

The first general election at Johnston Precinct 6, located at the Johnston Public Library, was off to a smooth start Tuesday morning.

"We've had a primary and a school bond election before," said Mary Brown, precinct worker. "I anticipate we'll be busy today."

At 9:45 a.m., 188 ballots had been cast at the precinct located at Johnston Public Library, and the only complication was some misplaced voters.

"We've had some people that needed to be redirected," Brown said. "Mainly to City Hall, they have two precincts there."

When doors opened at the precinct at 7 a.m. there was a bit of a line of people.

"We had 66 voters in the first 30  minutes," she said. "We have plenty of room here, the library is a great host and we have a great team of volunteers."

State House District 39 Election
Both candidates are newcomers to the political realm. Democrat Kelsey Clark, 27, of Grimes faces Republican Jake Highfill, 23, of Johnston, on the ballot for House District 39.

Highfill narrowly defeated incumbent Erik Helland in a June primary.

In 2010, Erik Helland ran unopposed for House District 69, which was redistricted for the 2012 election. Helland gathered 4,970 votes in Johnston, and 14,681 in all of the district.

For the past several months Highfill and Clark have squared off at community forums and in residents' yards with large campaign signs.

Make sure you like Johnston Patch on Facebook and follow Johnston Patch on Twitter for updates.

For House District 39, Republcans have an edge when it comes to voter registration, but those who don't have a party affiliation could swing the vote either way. 
Republicans - 9,073
Democrats - 5,961
Non-partisan - 7,031

Residents will also be voting for other statewide races including the heated contest for United States Representative District 3 between Rep. Leonard Boswell and Rep. Tom Latham.

Another hot local race to watch is Republican Dan Charleston’s challenge to a second term for one-term incumbent Polk County Sheriff and Democrat Bill McCarthy. Both have long careers in law enforcement. McCarthy was  a Des Moines police officer for more than 40 years, serving as chief at his retirement in 2006. Charleston has been in law enforcement since 1989.

Democrats have a voter registration edge in Polk County. Updated totals as of Oct. 22 are:
Active Republicans: 81,674
Active Democrats: 101,512
Active No-Party: 76,006
Inactive Republicans: 4,317
Inactive Democrats: 8,170
Inactive No-Party: 7,226

Several other races -- State Senator District 20, Board of Supervisors District 1 and County Auditor -- are uncontested this year.

The race getting the most attention, of course, is for the White House, and Iowa's six electoral votes are likely to be a major factor in the Election 2012 results race between President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

In 2008, Polk County voters supported President Barack Obama. But in Johnston, voters in Polk County clearly supported the McCain/Palin ticket with 4,048 votes, compared with 2,686 Johnston votes for Obama/Biden.

That compares with:
Polk County:
Obama/Biden 120,984  McCain/Palin 89,668

Obama defeated Sen. John McCain by 10 percentage points in Iowa in 2008.

The only statewide issue on the ballot this time around involves the Iowa Supreme Court, and the outcome could ultimately help decide whether gay marriage remains legal in Iowa.

In that contest, voters will decide whether to retain Justice David Wiggins, who was part of a unanimous 2009 decision that legalized gay marriage in Iowa.

Find out where to vote in Johnston here.

For all your election needs, find the answers in our Election Guide.