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Iowa caucuses
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{{Short description|United States electoral event}} {{for-multi|the most recent Republican caucuses|2024 Iowa Republican presidential caucuses|the most recent Democratic caucuses|2024 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses}} {{Use American English|date=July 2022}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}} {{Elections in Iowa}} The '''Iowa caucuses''' are quadrennial [[election|electoral events]] for the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] and [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] parties in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Iowa]]. Unlike [[Partisan primary|primary election]]s, where [[Voter registration|registered voters]] cast ballots at [[Polling station|polling places]] on election day, Iowa [[caucus]]es are meetings where voters gather to discuss and select candidates for their registered party. Political parties hold the caucuses, in contrast to most state-run primaries.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 4, 2024 |title=Feeling caucus confusion? Your guide to how Iowa works |url=https://apnews.com/article/how-iowa-caucus-works-2024-democrats-republicans-592ab40b9b9b948c0540f2cf132bab5c |access-date=January 16, 2024 |website=AP News |language=en |archive-date=January 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115225942/https://apnews.com/article/how-iowa-caucus-works-2024-democrats-republicans-592ab40b9b9b948c0540f2cf132bab5c |url-status=live }}</ref> Both [[United States presidential election|presidential]] and [[United States midterm election|midterm elections]] in Iowa use caucuses.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/us/iowa/cedar-rapids/cedar-rapids-gazette/2008/11-05?tag=iowa+caucus&rtserp=tags%2F%3Fpep%3Diowa-caucus&pfp=true&page=2&psi=39&pci=7 |title=Cedar Rapids Gazette |page=1 |date=November 5, 2008 |publisher=Newspaperarchive.com |access-date=January 20, 2016 |archive-date=February 2, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202225839/http://newspaperarchive.com/us/iowa/cedar-rapids/cedar-rapids-gazette/2008/11-05?tag=iowa+caucus&rtserp=tags%2F%3Fpep%3Diowa-caucus&pfp=true&page=2&psi=39&pci=7 |url-status=live }}</ref> The caucuses are also held to select delegates to county conventions and party committees, among other party activities.<ref name="worldcat" /><ref>{{Cite book|last=Larimer, Christopher W. (Christopher Wesley)|title=Gubernatorial stability in Iowa : a stranglehold on power|isbn=978-1-137-52814-8|oclc=934936718}}</ref> The Iowa caucuses are noteworthy as the first major contest of the [[United States presidential primary]] season.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/selzer/ |title=Ann Selzer Is The Best Pollster In Politics|last=Malone |first=Clare |date=January 29, 2016 |publisher=[[FiveThirtyEight]] |access-date=February 5, 2016 |archive-date=May 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210502142907/https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/selzer/|url-status=live }}</ref> Although caucus-goers have been unrepresentative of the nation's overall demographic,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://theweek.com/speedreads/893487/more-than-90-percent-iowa-caucusgoers-are-white-according-entrance-polls |title=More than 90 percent of Iowa caucus-goers are white, according to entrance polls |date=February 3, 2020 |website=theweek.com |publisher=The Week |language=en |access-date=February 4, 2020 |archive-date=January 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118080044/https://theweek.com/speedreads/893487/more-than-90-percent-iowa-caucusgoers-are-white-according-entrance-polls |url-status=live }}</ref> caucuses are still seen by some as a strong indicator of how a presidential candidate will do in later contests.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://demlist.com/demdaily-first-in-the-nation/ |title=DemDaily: First in the Nation |date=July 11, 2019 |website=demlist.com |access-date=January 26, 2020 |archive-date=April 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200424062726/https://demlist.com/demdaily-first-in-the-nation/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Candidates who do poorly in the Iowa caucus frequently drop out in the following days.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2016/02/economist-explains |title=Why Iowa is so important in the presidential election |date=January 31, 2016 |access-date=December 30, 2017 |newspaper=The Economist |archive-date=January 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109113908/https://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2016/02/economist-explains |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[2020 Iowa Republican caucuses]] and the [[2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses]] took place on February 3, 2020. The Democratic caucus proved controversial after difficulties and errors in the reporting of the final vote totals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wrong-iowa-caucuses/story?id=68743118|title=Iowa caucus: What we know and what went wrong|first1=Quinn|last1=Scanlan|first2=Kendall|last2=Karson|first3=Meg|last3=Cunningham|website=ABC News|language=en|access-date=February 4, 2020|archive-date=January 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112174219/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wrong-iowa-caucuses/story?id=68743118|url-status=live}}</ref> Iowa Democratic Party Chair [[Troy Price]] resigned on February 12, 2020, over the chaos resulting from the caucus.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/iowa-democratic-party-chair-resigns-after-caucus-fiasco-n1136126|title=Iowa Democratic Party chair resigns after caucus fiasco|website=NBC News|date=February 12, 2020 |language=en|access-date=February 13, 2020|archive-date=April 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423062924/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/iowa-democratic-party-chair-resigns-after-caucus-fiasco-n1136126|url-status=live}}</ref> On February 4, 2023, the [[Democratic National Committee]] approved a new calendar for the [[2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries]], moving the [[2024 South Carolina Democratic presidential primary|South Carolina Democratic primary]] to be held first on February 3, and pushing the [[2024 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses|Iowa Democratic caucuses]] later to March.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 4, 2023 |title=Dems decide to shake up start of 2024 presidential primary |url=https://apnews.com/article/politics-georgia-2022-midterm-elections-south-carolina-83f6ea9bd64e567bb1ed55d734474b89 |access-date=February 4, 2023 |website=AP NEWS |language=en |author=Will Weissert |archive-date=February 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204052414/https://apnews.com/article/politics-georgia-2022-midterm-elections-south-carolina-83f6ea9bd64e567bb1ed55d734474b89 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Republican National Committee]] still announced plans to hold the [[2024 Iowa Republican presidential caucuses|Iowa Republican caucuses]] first in the [[2024 Republican Party presidential primaries]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=June 10, 2023|title=When are the Iowa caucuses? Great question.|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/10/iowa-caucuses-when-2024-election-00101343|work=Politico|access-date=June 10, 2023|archive-date=June 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610123757/https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/10/iowa-caucuses-when-2024-election-00101343|url-status=live}}</ref> By October 6, the Democratic National Committee reached a compromise in which the in-person Iowa Democratic caucuses focusing on party business could still be held in January, but voting on presidential candidates would be done via [[mail-in ballot]]s until [[Super Tuesday]], March 5.<ref name="ipr">{{Cite web|date=October 6, 2023|title=DNC's new calendar, will release caucus results on Super Tuesday|url=https://www.iowapublicradio.org/political-news/2023-10-06/iowa-democratic-party-2024-caucuses-plan-mail-in-voting|work=Iowa Public Radio|access-date=October 19, 2023|archive-date=October 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231020021810/https://www.iowapublicradio.org/political-news/2023-10-06/iowa-democratic-party-2024-caucuses-plan-mail-in-voting|url-status=live}}</ref>
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