What to Expect in the Iowa Caucuses
On Monday night, both the Republican and Democratic parties will hold their caucuses. However, while Republicans will vote for their preferred presidential nominee, Democrats will focus on conducting party business without holding a presidential preference vote.
How the Caucuses Work
The Iowa caucuses have been the first-in-the-nation balloting since the 1970s. The caucuses take place at night, and voters must attend in person to vote. Starting at about 7 p.m. local time (CST), registered Republican voters will arrive at their respective precincts in 99 counties statewide. They will listen to brief speeches by representatives of each candidate before casting their ballots. The ballots will be counted immediately and in view of the caucusgoers and campaign representatives. The results from each precinct will then be entered into an online system by each precinct chair and tallied by Republican Party of Iowa staffers. The final results will be reported via the party’s official website.
“It will be a very perfected operation, very slick,” said Steve Scheffler, an Iowa caucuses precinct chair. “It’s pretty straightforward.”
“It’s pretty simple, it’s a grassroots effort,” added Randy Weisheit, another chair. “They’ll be able to check in, they’ll get a slip of paper, they’ll be able to easily vote their preference for a presidential candidate. There’s county business that also goes on that we essentially look at, electing representatives to our county party as well as delegates to our county party. That’s it.”
Avoiding Past Reporting Issues
The goal for the GOP is to avoid the reporting issues faced by the Iowa Democratic Party during the 2020 Democratic caucuses. The delay in certifying the winner led to changes, including the demotion of Iowa to Super Tuesday status instead of being first in the nation. As a result, Iowa Democrats will mail-in their pick for the presidential nominee by March 5.
Impact of the Iowa Caucuses
For Iowa Republican voters, the caucuses determine how many convention delegates each candidate will receive. Candidates win delegates in proportion to the percentage of the vote they receive. Although Iowa makes up only 1.6% of the total number of Republican delegates nationwide, being the first to vote can significantly affect a campaign and potentially narrow the Republican primary field. The New Hampshire primary will follow just eight days after the caucuses.
Source: Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and the Associated Press
