T-R FILE PHOTO A familiar pastime of Iowa Democratic caucuses — registered voters gathering in one location to show support for a presidential candidate, such as this 2020 caucus at Marshalltown Community College — will not occur on Jan. 15. Rather, Democrats need to request a presidential preference card from the Iowa Democratic Party and then mail it back to indicate their choice.

Even though the Jan. 15 caucus is going to be different for Democrats in Marshall County, there will still be a gathering on that day in the Marshalltown High School cafeteria.

According to Marshall County Democrats Chair Joshua Drewelow, the process for indicating the preferred presidential candidate will change this year.

“With the changes that occurred at the national level, those have trickled down to the state and the county levels,” he said. “It’s going to look different than it did in the past. This is what the Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) and the Democratic National Party have worked out.”

The primary difference is the lack of gathering in specific areas to show support for presidential candidates. Instead, registered Democrats can request a presidential preference card from the IDP. After marking the chosen Democratic candidate for President, the card is then mailed to the IDP. The results will be made public on Super Tuesday, which is March 5.

By visiting the IDP website, iowademocrats.org/caucus, voters can request their presidential preference card. Drewelow said people have until Feb. 19 to ask for the cards, which will begin getting mailed on Jan. 12.

The opportunity for Democratic voters to gather on Jan. 15, the date of the Republican caucus, comes from the state party using the day for in-person precinct caucuses. It will be a time for traditional party business to be conducted. Voters can listen to candidates running for other elected positions, and to members of the IDP. Drewelow said there will be talk about platform resolutions, choosing delegates for county conventions and electing county central committee members.

The speeches and the gathering of voters are part of the Marshall County Democrats plan to focus on party building, Drewelow said.

“There’s going to be updates from the state party,” he said. “Candidates will share their visions for what they would like to do.”

Outside of the precinct caucus, Drewelow said the county organization will focus on improving their presence in the community. As much as he hated to say it, the party has suffered from lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

“We were not having regular events,” Drewelow said. “We did not have in-person meetings. Now we are planning events and having speakers coming in. It is looking really strong.”

He wants the activity to be something similar to events of the Marshall County Republican Party’s Pachyderm Herd such as members meeting for lunch and listening to candidates or politicians.

“One month, we may have breakfast or coffee, maybe we will have a cocktail happy hour,” Drewelow said. “The events will get Democrats together and listen to speakers talk about key issues. It’s about having more of a presence in the community.”

The caucus changes are the result of the Democratic National Party removing Iowa from its first-in-the-nation status. Even though Drewelow was not the county chair when the change went into effect, he had and still has mixed feelings about it.

“I understand the reasoning with that decision, [Iowa] not having a more diverse population and getting their input, but it is disappointing,” he said. “With the decision at the national level, there are going to be less people at the caucus.”

Drewelow believes the removal of Iowa’s status is not a permanent change. He said there will be more conversations in the future which might bring the status back.

“There is work to be done, and I think we are starting the process,” he said. “I am excited to be a part of the process. Hopefully when the conversations continue, we will be able to have that opportunity again.”

CAUCUS INFORMATION:

Party: Democratic

Location: Marshalltown High School cafeteria

Address: 1602 S. Second Ave.

Date: Jan. 15

Time: 7 p.m. Registration and line-up begins at 6 p.m.

Party: Republican

Location: Marshalltown High School Roundhouse

Address: 1602 S. Second Ave.

Date: Jan. 15

Time: 7 p.m.

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Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.