In just 5 days, on February 1st 2016, Iowa will formally kick off the presidential nomination process and hold the first caucuses in the nation. They hold special significance in the Presidential election process, because they are the first time voters will weigh in on the Presidential nomination contest. The Caucuses are notorious for weaning out non-viable candidates and setting the stage for the rest of the Presidential Election.
Gary Henderson, eBay seller and Iowa Government Relation Small Business Ambassador, shares his experience:
“The Iowa caucuses are an incredibly interesting experience, because they allow Iowans to get up close and personal with all the Presidential candidates. For over nine months the candidates have been in Iowa attending a myriad of local events throughout the state. It’s fascinating to see the candidates morph throughout this process as they listen and learn about what’s important to Iowans. The people of Iowa, including myself, are honored to hold the first caucuses in the nation. We know how important the event is and we leverage this opportunity to its fullest extent to choose the candidate we believe will be the best President.”
While the national media hasn’t stopped talking about the caucuses you, along with roughly 315 million Americans who live outside of Iowa, may be wondering "What are the Iowa caucuses and how do they actually work?"
Caucuses differ from traditional primaries and only Iowa and nine additional states utilize the caucus system. The main difference between caucuses and primaries is that they are organized by the state’s political parties rather that the state’s Board of Elections. The goal of the Iowa caucuses is to determine each presidential candidate's delegate representation for the county caucuses and establish party issue platforms. Political parties hold caucuses, but the only thing they have in common is that they are held on the same day. Each party has a unique system they use to choose their national delegates from Iowa.
A Look at the Iowa Democratic Caucuses
Registered Democrats check in at one of the 1,100 precinct caucus sites. Here they are asked to gather in sections designated for each candidate, where they will be counted. If a candidate fails to get at least 15% of voters from that caucus site, the voters are released from that candidate. However, designated caucus captains for the surviving candidates can personally lobby these voters to join their candidate’s side. After this part of the process is done, a formula is used to determine how many delegates each candidate will get to represent him or her at the county convention. Then each group will vote on who these delegates will actually be. The number of delegates each candidate receives is very important and is ultimately what the national media will report on. Later delegates and caucus goers can discuss and propose party platform resolutions and ultimately decide which resolutions are important enough to make it to the county convention. After caucus night, the Iowa Democratic party begins what is referred to as the ‘Convention Climb’ moving delegates from precinct caucus, to county, state and finally national conventions, where they ultimately join delegates from all 50 states and nominate their Party’s candidate. The Democratic National Convention will be held in Philadelphia, PA from the last week of July.
In 2016 technology has made its mark on the Democratic caucus. In fact this will be the first year where Iowa’s Democratic voters will have the option to participate in a Satellite Caucuses or TeleCaucuses. A Satellite caucus is supposed to allow groups who live in Iowa, who are unable to attend the scheduled caucuses due to particular circumstances, such as working the night shift or a disability, to participate in the process. A TeleCaucus gives Iowans abroad the chance to participate.
A Look at the Iowa Republican Caucuses
Registered Republicans will report to one of 900 caucus sites. Here they will hear speeches from precinct captains assigned by the campaigns. Presidential candidates can show up and do this themselves if they wish to. After they’ve heard the speeches, caucus goers will vote by secret ballot in the caucus poll by writing down their chosen candidate on a blank piece of paper. These votes are tallied and reported to the national media. After this, caucus goers can stay to hear delegate nominations and ultimately choose the delegates that will represent their precinct at the county convention. Once the poll and the delegate selection are complete, the focus shifts to influencing the party platform. Similar to the Democratic caucus, voters can raise issues important to them, referred to as voicing an issue plank, and the caucus decides which to adopt. After caucus night the Iowa Republican party also begins what is referred to as the ‘Convention Climb’ moving delegates from precinct caucus, to county, state and finally national conventions, where they ultimately join delegates from all 50 states and nominate their Party’s candidate. The Republican National Convention will be held in Cleveland, Ohio the week of July 18th.