Iowa’s caucuses have long been an undemocratic nightmare, requiring that people be able to spend an entire evening to have their vote counted. Sorry, people who don’t control your work schedules, parents, people who are physically unable to hang out in a school gym for hours in winter! Under pressure from the Democratic National Committee, the Iowa Democratic Party has planned a “virtual caucus” for 2020, but now that is imperiled.
Sources tell the Des Moines Register that the DNC will reject the Iowa Democratic Party’s virtual caucus plan over concerns about hacking. The plan has people calling in to six virtual caucuses and ranking up to five candidates, and it could dramatically expand participation without triggering dramatic moves by New Hampshire, which remains intensely protective of having the first primary.
The state party and the presidential campaigns have invested in preparing for the virtual caucuses, and there’s only five months before voting. The DNC’s rejection of the current plan could cause serious disarray and a mad scramble to come up with a new plan.