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Major Changes Coming to Iowa Caucuses in 2020

Clay Masters
/
Iowa Public Radio
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price in the party's headquarters in Des Moines. 12/12/2017

 

The so-called “Unity Commission” formed by the Democratic National Committee is recommending historic changes in the way Democrats conduct the Iowa Caucuses.

The state party would be required to let people who cannot attend the neighborhood meetings on Caucus Night cast their presidential preference vote.

"We've got to figure out what that process is," says Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price. "Our goal is to make sure that with the changes we make to this we don't lose the spirit of our caucuses."

The recommendations also call on Iowa Democrats to release each presidential candidate's statewide vote totals and the number of delegates pledged to that candidate. Iowa Democrats have resisted that in the past, arguing releasing two outcomes is confusing.

Iowa Democrats will retain the first-in-the-nation status. 

Clay Masters is the senior politics reporter for MPR News.