Iowa political parties prepare for Feb. 1 prime time

DES MOINES - With the eyes of the political world on Iowa, the state's Republican and Democratic organizations face high-stakes pressure to deliver a flawless performance at the start of the presidential selection process Feb. 1.

Iowa's political parties are working to make the most of a do-over opportunity in the aftermath of a 2012 debacle in the first-in-the-nation Republican precinct caucuses. That was when GOP leaders declared Mitt Romney an eight-vote winner on caucus night, only to shift gears days later and declare Rick Santorum the winner by 34 votes.

'I think the survival of the caucuses could easily be in jeopardy,” said Mack Shelley, a professor who chairs Iowa State University's political science department.

Competing states and skeptical media will be watching for any slip ups that might signal the end of Iowa's four-decade run as the first state to test the organizational strength of the candidates seeking to become the most powerful leader of the free world in a venue known for its retail politics.

'For Iowa to maintain its first-in-the-nation caucus, they need to make sure it's done with a high level of integrity, above reproach and it is smoothly operated,” said Bob Vander Plaats, a leading and longtime GOP operative who called Iowa's 2012 performance 'snakebit” by one of the closest political outcomes anywhere and a botched handling of the outcome.

Not to worry, say Jeff Kaufmann, chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa, and Andy McGuire, chairwoman of the Iowa Democratic Party.

They are engaged in a bipartisan effort to coordinate scores of caucus sites that face the potential for logistical and technological challenges if Iowa's weather goes haywire on caucus night.

'We're going to be ready,” said Kaufmann, who does not rule out a record GOP caucus turnout at nearly 1,700 sites if 'all the stars align” in a race that has brought at least 17 candidates to Iowa and already caused five challengers to drop out.

Iowa's state political parties have partnered with Microsoft to develop a program to accurately tabulate and punctually report caucus results. They also are feverishly working to train volunteers in all 99 Iowa counties on how to collect and relay their data, and are testing the system to identify and address potential glitches.

Kaufmann also advised Iowans who aren't already registered to vote to do it ahead of time or arrive up to 45 minutes early at their caucus sites to avoid delays.

'It will be as ready to go as anything can be on that night,” said McGuire, whose party has attempted to address past complaints of accessibility and inclusiveness by establishing satellite sites for people with work or mobility conflicts and a 'tele-caucus” - commencing at the same 7 p.m. start time - for Iowans stationed in the military or in other circumstances making them unable to physically be in the state.

The party will confirm that each participant is registered to vote in Iowa, McGuire noted, or inform the person that he or she needs to register.

One week before the tele-caucus, verified participants will receive a phone number and personal ID number to participate in a process that will run nearly identically to caucuses in 1,681 Democratic precincts statewide. Tele-caucus participants - who will determine two delegates - will be able to align with a candidate or to an uncommitted group by pressing a number on the phone, she said, and there also will be a realignment process.

'It's not just about the reporting and getting it all in that night - which is a large job and I think we do it really well. But it's also about the kind of seriousness that all of our people have all over Iowa,” McGuire said of the caucus process. 'I don't think we should underestimate how well Iowa does that and I think that's one of the reasons that we're first.”

Shelley and another ISU political science professor, Steffen Schmidt, expressed concern that the new variations could detract from the flavor and virtues of the 'retail, down-home, boots on the ground politics” that are a leading selling point of caucus backers.

Schmidt also said even tested computer systems can crash or experience glitches.

'Our challenge is to keep our fingers crossed, pray to God, and burn some incense somewhere that this thing will actually function the way it's supposed to,” Schmidt said. 'This is really important. Democracy depends on this working. I'm sending them good vibrations.”