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What you should know about taking part in the Iowa Caucuses--it's complicated!

Posted: Mon, Dec 9, 2019 12:50 PM

The phrase "it's complicated" doesn't just sometimes apply to relationships--it could also be used to describe participating in the Iowa Caucuses on February 3rd.

Luther College political science professor Mike Engleheart says the process is a little more straightforward for Republicans.  Decorah residents will head to Carrie Lee School before 7:00 p.m. on February 3rd, will listen to several speeches and then will vote by ballot on which presidential candidate they prefer.

Luther College political science professor Carly Hayden Foster says the process for the Democratic Party caucuses is much more complicated.  Five different locations in Decorah will host a caucus event.  When participants arrive, the first task will be to count the total number of caucus participants and then take 15 percent of that total.  That figure--the "viability number"--represents the number of people who must support an individual candidate for that Presidential candidate to even be cnsidered.

Luther College students will caucus at either the Main Hall of the Center for Faith and Life or the North Gym of the Regents Center (as will city residents living in those precincts).  City of Decorah residents will caucus at the Decorah Senior Center, Decorah High School or Decorah Middle School.  Maps will be posted at a later date on the Winneshiek County Auditor's website to show which precinct caucus attendees are from.

Once the number of people in each group of candidate supporters is counted, there will be a determination of which groups are not viable.  The people within those groups then have the chance to leave their original group and move to the group of a different presidential candidate.

Hayden-Foster says the Iowa Caucuses are just one step in the process of eventually electing delegates to the National Democratic Party Convention, but they're the most visible step and the one which attracts national media attention.

The two political science professors explained the workings of the Iowa Caucuses at a meeting attended by two dozen people on the Luther campus Monday.