DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Early voting appears to be gaining in popularity, with requests for ballots in Polk County about 30 percent higher than they were at this time in 2008.

Polk County Jamie Fitzgerald says there had been 21,995 requests as of Monday. That's far ahead of the total in 2008 at this point, with about seven weeks before the election. The secretary of state's office says more than 128,000 Iowans had requested ballots as of Friday. Nearly 70 percent were by Democrats and 12 percent Republicans.

David Kochel, with the Romney campaign, says the difference in the parties' early voting numbers is because Republicans focus on supporters who are less likely to vote, while Democrats encourage early voters by anyone in the party.