Iowa Democrats can begin requesting mail-in preference card for 2024 caucus. Here’s how.

Iowa Democrats can now begin requesting presidential preference cards for the party's first ever mail-in caucus ahead of the 2024 race.

The window to register for the mail-in absentee process began Wednesday, party officials announced. Presidential preference cards will be mailed starting Jan. 12.

Democrats have until 5 p.m. on Feb. 19 to request a card.

The party will still hold in-person caucuses on Jan. 15, the same day as Republicans, but only to conduct party business unrelated to picking a presidential nominee, such as electing precinct officers and determining unbound delegates to the county convention. The party said Wednesday that it will announce a list of in-person caucus locations soon.

Preference cards must be postmarked by March 5 in order to count. Results will be announced by party officials later that same day, which is Super Tuesday, when more than a half-dozen other states will hold presidential primaries.

National Democrats earlier this year reshaped their presidential nominating calendar, booting Iowa from being first-in-the-nation and removing Iowa from the group of early states all together.

The Iowa Democratic Party had put forward the mail-in proposal to make the caucuses more accessible — which was one of the main criticisms from national Democrats — in an effort to maintain its first-in-the-nation status. Following the 2020 presidential election, though, many national party leaders expressed a preference for primary elections over party-run caucuses.

The national party’s Rules and Bylaws Committee found Iowa Democrats’ previous delegate selection plan, which did not include a caucus date, non-compliant in June. The committee had said it would not approve the plan unless Iowa Democrats ensure that the postmark deadline for mail-in presidential preference cards is March 5, 2024, or later — ensuring that Iowa's caucus results couldn't be announced until after the early voting window concludes and other states begin weighing in on Super Tuesday.

“I’m excited to officially begin our 2024 Iowa caucuses process. We’re committed to making this the most inclusive Iowa caucus in history,” Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said in a statement. “Iowans who work a third shift, families that may not have access to child care, or seniors who are homebound can now make their voices heard in our presidential process.”

How it will work

Any registered Iowa Democrat can request a presidential preference card through a form that can be submitted online or downloaded, printed and mailed in.

Democrats can go to https://iowademocrats.org/2024-caucus-2/ to fill out the online form. A Spanish version of the form also is available on the website.

The website also includes links to check voter registration status and to register to vote or update voter registration information.

Printed request forms must be mailed to the Iowa Democratic Party at 5661 Fleur Dr., Des Moines, Iowa 50321. Or, Democrats may email their request forms to preferencecardrequest@iowademocrats.org.

Iowa Democrats will be asked to affirm that they have not participated in a caucus of any other political party as part of the mail-in process.

The Iowa Democratic Party State Central Committee will approve the candidates who will appear on the preference card at its Dec. 2 meeting.

Iowans with questions or who wish to ask for a request form by phone can call a helpline at 515-216-3893. The line will be monitored by Iowa Democratic Party staff and volunteers.

Iowa Republicans meet at 7 p.m. Jan. 15 at precinct locations across the state to cast their own presidential preferences in person.

The Iowa Democratic Party will contract with a team led by Amber McReynolds, who is the founding CEO of the National Vote at Home Institute, a nonprofit that encouraged mail-in voting in the 2020 election.

“With their guidance, we’re creating a process that has safeguards in place to ensure we verify the information of those who want to participate, while at the same time opening up our caucuses to more people than ever before,” Hart said.

Comments: (319) 398-8499; tom.barton@thegazette.com