Iowa caucuses: With Trump in the lead, Haley and DeSantis vie for second place

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January 15, 2024 at 7:52 AM EST

The term “Iowa caucus” may conjure up mental images of people gathering in school gymnasiums, forming and reforming groups based on their presidential preferences.

That voting method was a fixture of the Democratic caucus for the last five decades, but won’t be used anymore. The party has drastically reformed its caucus process after the failures of 2020.

Iowa Democrats will still hold party caucuses today, but they won’t involve voting for the president.

Instead, the in-person precinct caucuses (which also start at 7 p.m. local time) will meet to conduct what state Democrats call “traditional party business.”

“We will elect unbound delegates and alternate delegates to county conventions, elect county central committee members and discuss platform resolutions that can be shared at county conventions,” they said.

Democrats will cast their vote by mail using a presidential preference card, which they can request by mail or online through Feb. 19.

The options on the ballot? President Biden, Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips, author Marianne Williamson and “uncommitted.”

Cards are being mailed out as of Friday, and results will be released on March 5 (16 states or territories will vote that same day, known as Super Tuesday).

It’s a significant change in the process and a demotion in the calendar. The reform is a direct result of the chaotic Democratic caucus of 2020, which failed to produce a clear winner. The smartphone app that the party purchased for precincts to report their winners malfunctioned, as did a backup hotline system.

Even before that debacle, however, a growing chorus of critics had been casting doubt on Iowa’s first-in-the-nation status, arguing that its overwhelmingly white population isn’t reflective of the U.S. or the growing diversity of the Democratic Party.