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Residents wait in line to pick up a ballot during early voting at the Black Hawk County Courthouse on Sept. 27 in Waterloo, Iowa. Early voting starts today in Iowa where in the 2008 election 36 percent of voters cast an early ballot.

Charlie Neibergall / AP

Mark Cooper, of Des Moines, Iowa, places his ballot in the box during the first day of early voting for the November election, Sept. 27, at the Polk County Election Office in Des Moines, Iowa.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

A sample ballot hangs on the wall during early voting at the Black Hawk County Courthouse on Sept. 27 in Waterloo, Iowa.

Charlie Neibergall / AP

A voter fills out his ballot during the first day of early voting for the November election at the Polk County Election Office in Des Moines, Iowa on Sept. 27.

Iowans on Thursday began voting in person at early voting sites and returning absentee ballots they requested by mail or in person. Iowa is one of 32 states that allow early voting, and any registered voter in Iowa is allowed to fill out and submit a ballot before the Nov. 6 election.

• Complete election coverage at NBCPolitics.com
• Obama ahead of Romney in Iowa polls as vote starts

Slideshow: On the campaign trail

Reuters, Getty Images

In the final push in the 2012 presidential election, candidates Mitt Romney and Barack Obama make their last appeals to voters.

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Kevin E. Schmidt / Quad-City Times via Zuma Press

A fireball rises after a Soviet-era Czech L-39 military training jet with the Hoppers Flight Jet Team crashed, killing the pilot during the Quad-City Airshow on Saturday.

Jeff Cook / Quad-City Times via Zuma Press

Corporal Jacob Pries of the Davenport Police Department said the accident involving the L-39 jet, developed in the former Czechoslovakia in the late 1960s, occurred about 1:30 p.m. during the annual Quad-City Air Show.

The jet was flying in formation shortly before it crashed alongside the I-80 highway. It plowed into a field near the Eastern Iowa Industrial Center in northern Davenport, Fries said.

-- Reported by Reuters

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Reuters photographer Adrees Latif attended the 33rd annual Truckers Jamboree at the Iowa 80 in Walcott, Iowa, which is said to be the world's largest truck stop.  

Adrees Latif / Reuters

A man raises the arm of his 20-month-old daughter Dezirae, a request for passing truck drivers to blow their horns, during the Iowa 80 truck stop's 33rd Annual Truckers Jamboree in Walcott, Iowa on July 12, 2012.

Adrees Latif / Reuters

Marin Page, 13, watches the festivities while lounging next to her family's truck.

Adrees Latif / Reuters

Joyce Wagner sits on a bale of hay while taking part in the jamboree.

Adrees Latif / Reuters

Truckers and local residents attend the jamboree.

Adrees Latif / Reuters

A child in a stroller is covered with a cloth depicting an image of the Statue of Liberty during the jamboree.

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Dave Kettering / Debuque Telegraph Herald file via AP

People enjoy the "Field of Dreams" baseball field in rural Dyersville, Iowa.

“Field of Dreams” is one of the few movies that actually moved me to tears when I saw it in the theater. I know it’s corny, but it still does. I can’t stop myself from watching whenever I run across it while channel surfing late-night television. Who can resist ghosts, baseball and believing in the impossible?

It appears that the town where the movie was shot continues to wrestle with one of the central questions of the movie. Dyersville, Iowa is considering a $38 million plan to turn the farmland around the famous cornfield diamond into a marquee destination for traveling youth baseball teams. While the plan could provide an economic lift to the region, it also has unleashed an emotional battle as the town of 4,000 tries to decide if they should build it.

From the City of Dyersville website:

In 1982, screenwriter Phil Robinson became interested in the novel "Shoeless Joe."  He recognized the potential for this heartwarming story and looked for a setting for the film.  In the early months of 1988, Robinson came upon the Lansing farm near Dyersville and said, "That's it!  That's my farm!"  The movie produced was called "The Field of Dreams," starring Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones.  Today the site is well maintained and visited by many baseball enthusiasts.

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Charlie Neibergall / AP

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, center right, walks back to his office amid chanting protesters after delivering his Conditions of the State address before a joint session of the Iowa Legislature, Jan. 10, 2012, at the Statehouse in Des Moines, Iowa.

The DesMoines Register reported on Tuesday that the Governor Terry Branstad spoke to a joint session of the Iowa House and Senate for his annual Condition of the State address at the Iowa Capitol. His 2012 legislative program focuses on reducing commercial property taxes, creating high-quality jobs, developing a “supply chain cluster” of factories around major employers like Deere & Co. in Waterloo, and retaining Iowa businesses and careers.

The governor said the state has its finances “back in order” as a result of the 2011 legislative session. He praised state legislators for ending a dependency on one-time revenue, such as federal funds, and for paying for a balanced budget using ongoing revenue. In addition, he said the state has a two-year budget for most areas of state spending.

However, the Registers’s Jason Chalworth reported that some citizens were turned away from the House chambers and balconies during Gov. Terry Branstad’s Condition of the State speech.

There were Occupy-related protesters at the Capitol, some chanting loudly outside the chambers immediately before and after the speech. There were no interruptions to the speech.

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Andrew A. Nelles / Zuma file

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) ended her campaign for the Republican presidential nomination after winning just 5 percent of the votes in the Iowa caucuses.

Slideshow: The political life of Michele Bachmann

Mark Wilson / Getty Images

A look at the political life of the third-term Minnesota congresswoman who's running for the GOP nomination.

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Msnbc.com and wire reports: Republican presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann has suspended her campaign for the White House.

"I have decided to stand aside," she told a room of supporters and reporters in Iowa. Bachmann said she leaves the race knowing the campaign was run "with integrity." She said now, the country needs to "stand united behind the person our party chooses to be the standard bearer."

Meanwhile AP reports Mitt Romney accepted an endorsement from Arizona Sen. John McCain.

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Evan Vucci / AP

Tea party supporter William Temple, of Brunswick, Ga., sits in the Des Moines Airport heading home after the Iowa caucus, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012.

Matthew Cavanaugh / Getty Images

Globe Manufacturing Company employees Shirley Smith, left, and Pat Dexter listen as Republican presidential candidate and former Utah Governor, Jon Huntsman Jr., speaks on Jan. 04, 2012 in Pittsfield, New Hampshire. Huntsman continues to campaign hard in the nation's first primary state. Globe makes equipment for firefighters and other emergency workers.

With the Iowa caucus over, the candidates and their supporters head to New Hampshire for the next contest which will take place Jan. 10. Jon Huntsman skipped Iowa and concentrated on New Hampshire and Michele Bachmann dropped out of the race after a poor showing in Iowa. More news from NBC politics.

Charlie Riedel / AP

Rick Santorum, center, looks over caucus returns with campaign staff in his hotel room on Jan. 3, 2012, in Johnston, Iowa.

Charles Dharapak / AP

Supporters of Mitt Romney watch caucus returns at his caucus night rally in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 3, 2012.

Chris Carlson / AP

Newt Gingrich speaks during his caucus night rally in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 3, 2012.

Evan Vucci / AP

Rick Perry is greeted by supporters after speaking on caucus night on Jan. 3, 2012, in West Des Moines, Iowa.

Michael O'Brien of msnbc.com reports on the results of the Iowa caucuses:

After a night that saw the two candidates claim the lead, the GOP announced that Mitt Romney beat Rick Santorum by just 8 votes to become the apparent winner. Ron Paul finished third.

 Newt Gingrich had an edge, at 13 percent, over Rick Perry, at 10 percent, while Michele Bachmann lagged in sixth, at 5 percent. Perry said he would take the next few days to re-assess his campaign.

"I've decided to return to Texas, assess the results of tonight's caucus, determine whether there is a path forward for myself in this race," he said in remarks shortly before midnight. Read the full story.

Related content:

• What the entrance poll told us about Iowa's outcome
• Bachmann tells supporters she's staying in the race
• More images from the Iowa caucuses on PhotoBlog

Jim Young / Reuters

Republican presidential candidate Congressman Ron Paul celebrates with his wife, Carol (L, Front), his son Senator Rand Paul (C, Rear) and other family members and supporters at his Iowa Caucus night rally.

NBC News projects that Texas Rep. Ron Paul will finish third in a closely-fought battle for the first nominating contest of the 2012 Republican primary.

Read the full story here.

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Dave Weaver / AP

Voters debate during a caucus of precinct 42 near Smithland, Iowa, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012.

Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA

Ron Paul receives a handwritten vote from Iowa Republicans in the Keokuk County Courthouse in the first contest of the 2012 US presidential nominating process in provincial Sigourney, Iowa on Tuesday.

Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA

Stephanie Atwood (C) hands out paper ballots to Iowa Republicans in the Keokuk County Courthouse in Iowa on Tuesday night.

Jonathan Gibby / Getty Images

Local resident Matthew Sorenson registers at the West Des Moines Precinct 1 and 2 GOP Caucus held at the Seven Flags Event Center on Tuesday night.

msnbc.com staff reports:

Iowans began gathering throughout the state at 8 p.m. ET to caucus for their preferred candidate for the GOP nomination. As of that time, NBC News projects the race as too close to call.

NBC also projects that, based on early vote totals and entrance polling, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Texas Rep. Ron Paul and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum are competing to win the Iowa caucus.

Read the full story here.

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Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Technician Richie Beanan irons the U.S. flag on stage in anticipation to a rally with supporters on Iowa caucus night for Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at the Hotel Fort Des Moines Jan. 3, 2012 in Des Moines, Iowa. Candidates made a final push to try and sway voters as Iowans took part in the first caucus of the 2012 presidential election.

Msnbc.com reports: The 2012 Republican presidential nominee won't be crowned Tuesday in Iowa. But when Iowans show up this evening for the state's caucuses — the first nominating contest of the 2012 GOP primary — they'll be setting the parameters for a campaign that, after months of anticipation, is only beginning in earnest.

The latest polls, one released as recently as Saturday, have made clear that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Texas Rep. Ron Paul and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum compose the top tier of candidates vying for a win Tuesday night in Iowa.

Dave Weaver / AP

Chris Kreger and John Carr talk outside a caucus Tuesday Jan 3, 2012 at precinct 42 near Smithland, Iowa.

Jonathan Gibby / Getty Images

A young boy prepares to leave school before the arrival of voters at the Waukee Precinct 4 GOP Caucus held at Walnut Hills Elementary School Jan. 3, 2012 in Urbandale, Iowa. After months of campaigning by candidates, Iowan voters throughout the state prepare to participate in the first caucus of the 2012 presidential election.

Jeff Haynes / Reuters

A Gingrich caucus worker looks on as Iowa caucus goers arrive and sign in for the caucus at the UNI Dome on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa, Jan. 3, 2012.

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