There have been a lot of turnout estimates thrown around fast and loose — hopefully we will have a better indication of the truth soon.
But the International Organization for Migration (IOM) seems to have learned some propaganda techniques from the previous Iraqi leader. The IOM was in charge of out-of-country voting by Iraqis. This morning they released the news that “94 percent of registered expats voted.” This sounds awesome, and if true, must be a result of the fact that security and intimidation were not significant issues abroad (right?). However, they fail to mention that less than 25% of eligible Iraqi expats registered to vote.
One little-publicized reason for this low expat registration: Iraqi expats were required to travel to one of the polling-place cities a week before the election to register, then return a week later to actually vote. I assume that this would have been a significant hardship for many. In the US, there were five such cities, and many countries with expat populations had none. Within Iraq, same-day registration made this issue a moot point.