In Linn County, some Republicans may be shut out of their caucus

The big day is finally upon us. As I have many times now, I’ll be leading my local Republican precinct caucus tomorrow evening. It’s one of my very favorite political activities.

One thing about my local county caucuses has me worried. Based on instructions from county party leadership, it seems possible that some Republican caucusgoers in Linn County could be turned away from full participation in their precinct caucus.

I hope that doesn’t happen. I fear it will.

Precinct chairs and caucus site leaders have been instructed by Edward “Bernie” Hayes, former state senate candidate and current chair of the Linn County GOP, to monitor the number of people arriving at each caucus site. If the number of attendees looks to near capacity of the area in which caucus activities are to happen, precinct chairs and site leaders have been told to cut off entry, even if those still in line meet every eligibility requirement.

“We will not let them in. OK?” said Hayes to the Linn County Republican Central Committee at its Dec. 14 meeting. “We will not let them in because it’s a safety issue, and we have a contract that says we can’t exceed that number.” The contract to which Hayes was referring was for the caucus site at Kirkwood Community College, but his directive was for all caucus locations.

“But what we’re proposing to do,” Hayes continued, “because many people come simply to vote … they may not want to be interested in the, uh, precinct committee business and all that stuff, we’re going to go down the line, as long as they’re in line, say, ‘Here’s the cutoff at 7:00, these people are in line,’ and we will register them, we will look at their ID … and we will give them a ballot. And let them vote. And we will take their ballots and bring them in with the others, but we’re saying, ‘Hey, you can’t enter the building, because we’ve exceeded capacity. So we’re gonna let you vote, that’s all you get to do …’”

I understand (and appreciate) the attention to safety. Republicans who caucused in 2016 at the convention center in downtown Cedar Rapids might remember being packed body-to-body with hundreds of others outside the caucus hall with no room to move while waiting to check in. It was dangerous. Nobody cares to experience that again.

But denying entry to perfectly eligible caucusgoers simply because of building’s prescribed capacity? That’s a scale on which safety and participation don’t seem to evenly balance.

For most caucusgoers, cutting off the line might be no big deal if they’re at least given a presidential ballot. Of the many thousands of GOP caucusgoers during a non-incumbent presidential election year — almost 187,000 in 2016 — the vast majority attend only to vote for their preferred presidential candidate and take off once that’s done.

Many, however, stay for the remaining caucus functions. That’s what makes a caucus different from a primary — it’s not an election, it’s a meeting; usually of a political party to conduct specific business. State law requires that caucuses are held every two years, not four. The presidential preference poll is actually the only part that doesn’t happen at every caucus.

Regular caucus functions, presidential year or not, include electing representatives to have voting rights on the county party’s central committee and signing up interested participants as delegates to the party conventions. Representation on the central committee is limited to as few as two members from each precinct. The lucky few who are elected as delegates to the Republican National Convention are chosen at their district convention, where delegate slots are awarded on a first come, first served basis, beginning with those who signed up and paid their fees at their caucus.

It is possible for an interested person to be elected to the central committee or sign up as a convention delegate after tomorrow night’s precinct caucuses. By the time they do, though, those positions could already be filled by someone who was present at the caucus.

So interested caucusgoers — even those who receive and cast a ballot for the presidential poll — could still, unfortunately, lose out on multiple opportunities to get involved if denied entry to their precinct caucus due to capacity limits. Even those who intend only to cast a presidential vote won’t get the chance to address their caucus in support of their chosen candidate or hear other candidate speeches at all. Nor will a caucusgoer who is denied entry get to observe the counting of the ballots, a right outlined in Iowa Code 43.4.

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It poses a conundrum for Republicans in Iowa’s second-largest county: What outcome should we hope for? Record turnout of enthusiastic participants, some of whom are shut out and disenfranchised, or full participation at a smooth caucus because of more manageable — meaning smaller — turnout?

That question could be rendered moot by weather. It is heckin’ cold outside. But I know better than to underestimate the political passion of Iowans. And unlike 2016 and 2020, when our Democrat counterparts had big presidential contests of their own, left-wing progressives could see more opportunity this time in registering as a Republican just to vote at their local GOP caucus. Yes, they’d give up their right to participate in this year’s Iowa Democratic Party’s mail-in balloting snoozefest, but nobody is expecting a surprise upset of Joe Biden if participation in Iowa wilts.

Hayes acknowledged that the county GOP’s attendance projections were based on the number of already-registered Republicans in each precinct without considering No Party or Democrat voters who re-register to participate with the GOP.

“If a lot of them come in and come over, we will be swamped,” said Hayes at the December meeting. “We will absolutely be swamped, and I’m thinking it’s looking that way.”

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Safety notwithstanding, I don’t find it wise for a county party leader to emphasize capacity limits over other obligations necessary to run a smooth caucus. But I can’t change the decision-making. What I can do is offer advice to those planning to attend tomorrow night’s GOP caucuses so those who want to fully participate … can.

Don’t assume that your caucus is at the same place where you normally vote. Most Republicans will caucus elsewhere than their Election Day polling place.

Know your precinct. You’ll need it to find the location of your caucus and where to check in once you arrive. Visit https://www.iowagop.org/2024caucus to find your precinct name and location. Most Linn County GOP caucus sites will host multiple precincts. You can only caucus in the precinct where you reside.

Arrive as early as you can. It’ll help you avoid being shut out if and when a site leader halts entry. Your local caucus organizers will be glad to see you arrive so early — especially if you’re able and willing to lend a hand. The Iowa caucuses don’t work without volunteers.

Bring ID. The Iowa GOP instituted the same ID requirements as regular polling places. State-issued IDs like an Iowa Driver’s License are the most common. See the Secretary of State’s list at https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/pdf/forms/idposter.pdf for a complete list.

If your voter registration needs updating, you’ll also need to prove your new address. If it’s listed on your driver’s license, great. If not, try a utility bill, bank statement, residential lease, paystub or other government check with your name and new address. A complete list of residency documents is at the same link above.

Consider your last registration update. The state party gives each precinct a paper list of registered Republicans in that precinct. Furnishing paper lists of nearly 600,000 active GOP voters across precincts in 99 counties requires a very early start to the printing process. If you updated your registration only within the last month — on or after Dec. 15 — assume that your precinct DOES NOT have your updated registration.

Expedite the line by having your forms ready. Any eligible caucusgoer not found on the paper list must complete a new voter registration form to participate. If you think you might not be on the printed list, go online to https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/pdf/voteapp.pdf and print the form to fill out in advance, saving you (and those behind you) some time. Can’t print the form? Your precinct organizers will have plenty on hand for you when you check in.

If you wish to submit a resolution to the Republican Party platform, try writing it in advance. Make it succinct — one or two sentences — and if you think it helpful, attach a separate explanation of why it matters to you. Avoid pages-long anything — your resolution will only be forwarded to the county convention platform committee if your precinct approves it. (The presidential vote-only crowd will have left by then.)

If you wanted to sign up for the conventions or central committee but were denied entry, tell the organizer who provides your ballot your intentions and stick around near the area. Hopefully you’ll be allowed in to participate once the presidential-only crowd skedaddles.

Finally, be patient with your caucus organizers and friendly with your precinct. Caucuses require an incredible amount of volunteer work and coordination. That’s part of the charm — of our process, and our people. Even when we disagree on how best to do it, we’re still going to show up and see this thing through. And we’d better. The whole country is watching.

Comments: 319-398-8266; althea.cole@thegazette.com