State Democrats announce details of first ever tele-caucus

CEDAR RAPIDS — As part of the Iowa Democratic Party's goal to expand participation in the caucuses, it announced Tuesday a program that will allow active military servicemen and women a way to participate in the country's first-in-the-nation event.

Called the tele-caucus, Iowa Democrats serving in the military and other Iowans living abroad, can phone in their votes Feb. 1 for the caucus, using buttons on their landlines, cellphones or smartphones to align, and realign, with candidates.

Democrats have spent 2015 rolling out plans to make participating in the party's caucus easier, convenient and inclusive. Last month, it announced an initiative to allow people to hold satellite caucuses outside their traditional precinct locations, intended for those who are limited by distance, mobility or another hardship.

'We want as many people as possible to be able to participate in this caucus,' said party chair Andy McGuire. 'We have a goal of making the Iowa caucuses more inclusive and even a better process than the process we have right now.'

How it will work:

• Military personnel serving outside of Iowa, whether abroad or in another state, and their families, students and other Iowans living abroad, Peace Corps members and Diplomatic Corps are all eligible if they're registered to vote and registered Democrats.

• Those interested most sign up by Jan. 6 at iowademocrats.org/telecaucus/.

• A week before caucus, verified participants will receive a pin number to use when they call in on caucus night.

• The tele-caucus will occur at the same time as the nearly 1700 precinct caucuses throughout Iowa Feb 1. Similarly, tele-caucus results also will be in real time.

• Participants can align with candidates by pressing numbers on any phone or program that can be used for calling like Skype. They'll also be able to participate in the realignment process.

• Two state delegates will be chosen who must be present for the state convention June 18.

• McGuire said the party will verify participants the same way they verify traditional caucus participants, checking to make sure they're registered Democrats.

'It will run nearly identical to precinct caucuses,' McGuire said.

Stones' Phones, a Democratic consulting firm based in Washington D.C., will run the program, to be paid for by the Democratic Party. The group has worked with 29 Democratic state parties across the state, said Marty Stone, Stones' Phones founder.

'We know how important the Iowa caucuses are, and are committed to ensuring the tele-caucus runs smoothly and becomes an integral part in allowing all Iowans to have a say in picking the Democratic nominee for president,' Stone said.

The exclusion of active servicemen and women from the Iowa caucuses hasn't been lost on state party leaders or presidential candidates. Those same concerns were raised by Hillary Clinton in her 2008 concession speech, when she said soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan couldn't attend the caucuses.

Party Vice Chair Danny Homan, who also will chair the tele-caucus, recalled missing the state's first caucus in 1972 while based in Missouri for basic training.

'I'm certainly not the only Iowan over the years who's missed out on the caucus because he's serving,' he said. 'The caucus represents Democracy at its finest in action, so that's why it's a priority for the Democratic Party to make sure the men and women who serve our country in uniform have the opportunity to participate in the Iowa caucuses. Those who serve our country should have a voice in who gets to lead it.'

While a spokesman with the Iowa Republican Party said it doesn't plan to offer a tele-caucus in 2016, it does plan to allow military personnel to participate in the Republican caucus in February.