Caucus process

Gazette Editorial Board

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By even the most charitable standards, Iowa's Republican presidential precinct caucuses did not run like a well-oiled machine. A confusing caucus night yielded one tight outcome. A second count yielded another. In between were paperwork problems and management missteps. Iowa's first-in-the-nation status was damaged.

So we're pleased to see that the Republican Party of Iowa has created a 17-member task force to make recommendations on how the GOP caucus process can be improved in the future. One of the panel's top goals is transparency, which seems appropriate in the wake of a hazy outcome.

Iowa's caucuses have always had quirks. That's the unpolished nature of what are essentially political gatherings run by local volunteers. But there may be ways to improve the vote tabulation and reporting process, especially with an eye on the possibility of a tight outcome. Such changes can show Iowans and the rest of the country that although the caucuses may be unique, quirky even, the numbers collected on caucus night can be trusted.

And if Iowa Republicans truly want their caucus night poll to be taken seriously, they should scrap the GOP's August Ames straw poll. Punting that increasingly irrelevant spectacle would send a good signal that Iowa Republicans are focused on the main event.

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