Advance registration for Iowa caucuses would be ‘big hurdle’

JOHNSTON — It appears unlikely that Iowa Republicans will set an advanced registration requirement to participate in the Iowa caucuses — which would nullify same-day registration — based on comments made Friday by state party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann.

Kaufmann said Friday state party leaders continue to have conversations about whether to require Republican caucus participants to register in advance of the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses. But Kaufmann also said such a move would be “a big hurdle.”

Kaufmann made the comments Friday while recording this weekend’s episode of “Iowa Press” on Iowa PBS, alongside fellow guest Steve Scheffler, a state party official and president of the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition.

Earlier this year, statehouse Republicans passed a law that allows the state parties to require advance registration to participate in the Iowa caucuses. Currently, both parties allow caucus participants to register as a Democrat or Republican at the caucuses.

Iowa Republicans have been mulling a preregistration deadline, in part, they have said, to protect themselves from non-Republicans meddling in the caucuses. Kaufmann described a scenario where Democrats could flood the caucuses to produce results not indicative of a Republican caucus.

The trade-off to such a deadline would be that participants, unlike in recent cycles, would not be able to register and participate on the day of the caucuses.

The legislation that gave the state party the option to add such a deadline was introduced by Kaufmann’s son, Wilton Republican state legislator Bobby Kaufmann, who has been working for former President Donald Trump’s campaign in Iowa.

Jeff Kaufmann on Friday appeared to pour a cold water on the idea that Iowa Republicans will be adding an early registration deadline.

“We’re having conversations, but that’s a big hurdle,” Kaufmann said, suggesting that adding a preregistration deadline at this point could upset the Republican presidential candidates who have been campaigning in Iowa this year and thus could threaten Iowa Republicans’ future as the first-in-the-nation caucus state.

“A lot of our campaigns, a lot of our candidates, have already started preparation for same-day voter registration. … There would be pushback from a lot of our candidates. There would be pushback from some of our grassroots activists,” Kaufmann said.

“It’s a little bit of a two-edged sword,” he said. “There are people on each side of it. We just have to make very sure we’re following the (Republican Party of Iowa) Constitution, and we have to make sure that the other 160-plus voters in the (national Republican Party) know that we’re not changing rules at the last minute, and understand that our candidates have to be satisfied that Iowa is treating them in a neutral and objective fashion.”

Reynolds’ role

Kaufmann said that if there is one endorsement that could move the needle in the Republican presidential primary in Iowa, it would be from Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.

“She’s that popular,” he said.

Kaufmann also said he has no concern that a Reynolds’ endorsement would be viewed by party officials outside the state as creating an unfair playing field in Iowa, thus threatening Iowa Republicans’ first-in-the-nation status.

Recent Iowa governors have not endorsed presidential candidates in the first-in-the-nation caucuses, instead playing a role of neutral host and observer.

“She has done her job in terms of what Iowa’s supposed to do, and that is present these candidates,” Kaufmann said. “She made a conscious decision not to endorse, not to get involved right now. Everyone was invited to her interviews at the (Iowa) State Fair. I think she has set the tone that everybody is welcome here.”

“Iowa Press” will be shown on Iowa PBS at 7:30 p.m. Friday and noon on Sunday; 8:30 a.m. Saturday on Iowa PBS World; and online at iowapbs.org.

Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com

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