DES MOINES — State election officials confirmed Monday that the 1,589,899 Iowans who cast ballots last month was a record turnout for a presidential election.

The Iowa Executive Council, acting as the state’s Board of Canvass, approved 2012 general election results compiled by the Iowa Secretary of State’s office that showed 73.28 percent of the eligible electors cast ballots in a presidential race won in Iowa by Democrat Barack Obama over Republican Mitt Romney. The 2012 turnout topped the 2008 record by 43,000 votes, election officials said.

The 822,544 votes received by the ticket of Obama and vice presidential running mate Joe Biden represented 51.99 percent of the Iowa vote; the ticket of Romney and vice presidential running mate Paul Ryan polled 46.18 percent of the Iowa vote with 730,617 ballots cast.