Across the Des Moines metro, tens of thousands of voters headed to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 4, to decide local races and the fate of multimillion-dollar bond measures that will shape schools and cities for years.

More than 350,000 ballots were cast statewide, driven in part by competitive city races and some of the largest school bond proposals Iowa voters have seen in years.

The ballots reflected a mix of continuity and change across central Iowa, with longtime incumbents holding on to seats in several suburbs while newcomers unseated sitting officials in key city council and school board races.

Here are five key takeaways from Tuesday’s results. More: Catch up on Election Day results in Iowa

Incumbents held strong, but new voices broke through

City and school elections across the

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