So…I want to caucus

Fantastic! Caucusing is different than voting, but it’s just as easy.

But who can caucus?

First off, any person who is eligible to vote in the State of Iowa and will be at least 18 years old on Election Day, November 8, 2016*, may participate in the Iowa Caucuses on February 1, 2016. To participate in a Democratic caucus, you must be registered as a Democrat or register at the precinct caucus as a Democrat. You can register to vote in Iowa here.

Your fellow caucus attendees are simply local Democrats from your community (your neighbors, friends, and family members) who attend the caucus to declare their Presidential preference, elect local party leadership, and discuss issues important to them. This provides a fun and welcoming environment to discuss our country’s future.

What if I’m not registered to vote as a Democrat yet?

Not a problem, you can register to vote at your caucus location. No ID required.

OK, great! When and where is the caucus?

The Iowa Democratic Party’s Precinct Caucuses will be held on Monday, February 1^st, 2016 in all 99 counties of Iowa. You must be in the registration line or signed in by 7 p.m. to participate in the caucuses. Find your caucus location here.

We recommend arriving at your caucus location at least 30-45 minutes in advance.

What happens when I’m at my precinct caucus?

After signing in, the precinct chair for your caucus will welcome everyone to caucus night, and explain the caucus rules. The first item on the agenda will be forming Presidential preference groups: aka, aligning with the Presidential candidate you most prefer.

During this time, you will have the ability to stand with your neighbors in support of your preferred candidate, or to declare yourself as uncommitted. This is as simple as walking toward the corner of the room that’s been reserved for your candidate. If your group is too small to be “viable,” a threshold set at the beginning of the night, you will be asked to realign—a process during which you can join another group or acquire people into your own group to become “viable. “ After all groups are viable (meaning each group has enough members to be eligible to elect at least one delegate to the county convention), your group will elect your county convention delegates from its members.

Got it. Then what?

Once this process ends, caucus goers will elect local Democratic Party precinct leadership, who are responsible for leading party building efforts and working with Democrats within their precinct. After electing precinct committee people, caucus goers will have an opportunity to introduce or discuss party platform resolutions. Any caucus goer can introduce a resolution, which can be passed along to the County Convention Platform Committee. From there, resolutions can be voted upon and can ultimately be introduced at the state convention for adoption to the State Party Platform. To download a platform resolution submission form, please click here.

Caucuses are a great opportunity to meet fellow Democrats within your community and have your voice heard!

*Iowans who will be 18 years old by Election Day, November 8, 2016 can participate in the caucuses; however, one cannot register to vote in Iowa until he/she is at least 17 ½ years old. Because the caucuses are held Feb 1, 2016, it is possible that an eligible 2016 voter won’t be able to register as a Democrat by February 1, in which case the eligible voter must declare himself/herself a Democrat by signing a form with the Iowa Democratic Party.

Satellite Caucuses

The Iowa Democratic Party will be instituting Satellite Caucuses in 2016 to improve accessibility and participation in the Iowa Caucuses. These caucus locations will be held in different places from the normal precinct caucus locations. The option to host a Satellite Caucus will be available to a group of Democrats who want to participate, but are unable to attend their precinct caucus due to hardship (limitations of mobility, distance, or time). Participation is open to individuals who live and/or work at the Satellite Caucus site who otherwise would not be able to participate in their regular precinct caucus due to hardship.

Satellite Caucuses will be available by application at sites that have a sizable number of Democrats who’ve demonstrated a clear need to add an additional caucus site.

Satellite Caucuses will be held on the same day, and at the same time as precinct caucuses.

Applications for Satellite Caucus locations were submitted by November 20th to the IDP’s State Central Committee, where they are now under review. Information for individuals interested in registering for a Satellite Caucus will be announced at a later date.

Tele-Caucus

As part of the IDP’s continuing effort to expand participation in the Iowa Democratic Precinct Caucuses, for the first time ever the party will hold a Tele-Caucus for military members serving out-of-state and Iowans living abroad. The Tele-Caucus will take place at the same day and time, February 1 at 7 p.m. CST, as the precinct caucuses.

The Tele-Caucus is available to Iowans who are registered to vote and covered under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) and any active duty member of the military who is outside the borders of Iowa on the day and time of the Iowa Caucuses. This would include:

• Members of the military stationed outside Iowa
• Military family members living abroad
• Members of the Peace Corps
• Diplomatic Corps
• Students and other Iowans living abroad

The deadline to register for the Tele-Caucus has closed.