Iowa Democrats promise to change caucuses to maintain early spot
The Iowa Democratic Party is promising to rework its caucuses as party leaders begin a formal application process that will determine whether it can continue holding an early presidential nominating contest.
The state party submitted a letter of intent to members of the Democratic National Committee on Wednesday, notifying them that Iowa will be among the states making the case they should launch the presidential nominating process.
For the last 50 years, Iowa has kicked off that process with its first-in-the-nation caucuses. The DNC has long blessed the ritual, granting waivers to Iowa and three other states — New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina — allowing them to hold their caucuses and primaries before the rest of the country.
But the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee voted in April to open up the process, allowing any state that wants to hold an early contest to seek a new waiver. States interested in obtaining a waiver were required to send a letter of intent followed by a full written application. The committee has scheduled meetings in June to consider in-person presentations from a select group of states it chooses to move forward in the process.
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Ross Wilburn said in an interview with the Des Moines Register that he believes Iowa will be among the states invited to make an in-person presentation.
The letter gives a preview of the arguments Iowa Democrats plan to make, including that national Democrats should consider the overall balance and diversity of the four early voting states as a whole. And it hints at changes that could be on the horizon for Iowa’s caucus process, which is far more complicated than the primary elections held by most other states.
“We acknowledge and recognize that changes must be made to the caucuses so that they’re more straightforward and accessible,” Wilburn said. “We’re willing to make significant procedural changes and look to expand ways for people to participate.”
Unlike primaries, caucuses are held at a specific time and location and participants must attend in person. Critics argue that requirement often excludes people who have mobility issues, have inflexible work schedules, lack child care or otherwise face barriers to participation.
The Democratic caucuses also rely on a convoluted system of “state delegate equivalents” to determine a winner, rather than a straightforward tally of support.
Wilburn would not discuss what specific changes might be on the horizon. He said the party wants to seek input from various stakeholders and see further written criteria from the Rules and Bylaws Committee.
The committee has said it will evaluate applications and restructure the early nominating window in a way that is more reflective of the modern party and its current values. Those values include a state’s diversity, its general election competitiveness and the “feasibility” of holding an early contest.
“There’s still some subjectivity into what they are looking for,” Wilburn said.
Some members, for example, have said explicitly they don’t believe a state that holds a caucus or party-run primary, rather than a state-run primary, should be given a spot in the early window. That’s given the appearance the deck is stacked against Iowa. But Wilburn said he is confident Iowa will get fair consideration.
“Not every member of the committee has spoken up or articulated those types of things,” he said. “All of them are thoughtful folks, but some have kind of kept their cards closer to the chest.”
He said he’s had numerous conversations with DNC Chair Jaime Harrison, who formerly led the South Carolina Democratic Party.
“He gets it, and he said it would be a fair process,” Wilburn said.
The committee is scheduled to meet later this month to discuss how it will consider the formal applications from states. And the committee said it would host one of four virtual listening sessions May 5, though it has not yet released details.
Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at [email protected] or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.
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