Registered Iowa Democrats can now request presidential preference cards to participate in the 2024 Iowa Democratic caucuses, the state party announced Wednesday.

The caucusing process is a large change from previous years. Iowa Democrats will participate in the caucuses through an absentee system, expressing their choice for the Democratic presidential nominee by mail instead of the in-person events traditionally hosted by the Iowa Democratic Party.

It will also be the first time in decades that Iowa Democratic caucus results will not be the first released in the Democratic nominating cycle. While Iowa Democrats will still hold precinct caucuses Jan. 15, 2024 — the same day as the Iowa Republican presidential caucuses — no expression of presidential preference will take place that night. The party will release results March 5, on “Super Tuesday,” alongside several other states — a part of the agreement reached with the national party in October.

The changes were finalized following a lengthy process kickstarted by the Democratic National Committee to reorganize the presidential nominating calendar. Iowa was booted from its traditional first-in-the-nation position after the 2020 presidential election cycle, spurred in part by reporting errors during the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses.

Iowa did not receive a waiver from the DNC to hold an early state contest in the new presidential nominating calendar. The new line-up starts with South Carolina’s primary, followed by New Hampshire, Nevada Georgia and Michigan.

National Democratic leaders have also criticized caucuses for being less accessible than mail-in primaries, in addition to criticizing Iowa for leading the nomination process despite having a less diverse voter base than other parts of the country. Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said in a news release Wednesday that the state party is committed to making 2024 the “most inclusive Iowa caucus in history.”

“Iowans who work a third shift, families that may not have access to childcare or seniors who are homebound can now make their voices heard in our presidential process,” Hart said in a statement.

The absentee voting cards can be requested online or by mail. The IDP website provides links to make a request online, in addition to providing a file for a request form that can be printed out and mailed to the party.

Iowans who are currently registered with the Democratic Party can begin requesting presidential preference cards Wednesday. The party will begin mailing request forms Jan. 12, 2024. The last day to request a card will be Feb. 19, 2024.

Iowans must be registered as Democrats by Feb. 19, 2024 to participate in the Democratic caucuses, in addition to being eligible to vote in the Nov. 5, 2024 general election.

Cards must be postmarked on or before March 5 in order to be accepted by the state party.

Iowa Democrats begin accepting mail-in ballot requests for 2024 caucus