What Iowans need to know one month before Iowa caucuses
In exactly one month, Iowans will gather in community centers, churches and school auditoriums across the state for the 2024 caucuses.
The caucuses will begin at 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 15.
Iowa Republicans will meet to decide their preferred candidate for president in familiar fashion, with participants doing an in-person vote.
vlog reached out to several state and county Republican party leaders on Friday, but those who responded couldn't speak at the time. However, vlog did speak with Dallas County GOP's chair Kelley Koch at a caucus training event on Tuesday about what efforts her team was working on.
"We are building the actual caucus box: putting together the box and all the different forms, the signs, the instructions," said Koch, who worked with her team Tuesday to make sure people know where their caucus locations could be found.
Iowa Democrats will also meet, but to conduct party business only, not to decide presidential preference. Instead, picking a presidential nominee will be done by mail.
Registered Iowa Democrats have until Feb. 19, 2024, to request a presidential preference card. You can do so at . The cards will be mailed out starting Jan. 12, 2024. Results will be released on Super Tuesday — March 5, 2024.
Bill Brauch, the Polk County Democrats Chair, tells vlog it is important that Democrats across the state go out to caucus at their sites on Jan. 15 despite the fact that the presidential portion will be done by mail.
"We'll be electing the folks that serve on the county Central Committee, and that's really important. We will be electing folks who want to be delegates to the county convention," said Brauch, who then went on to discuss why people in Iowa's 3rd congressional district should show up at their designated caucus sites. "We've got a great opportunity and two excellent candidates so far that are running to get the nomination to run against Zach Nunn."
Get the latest Iowa caucus headlines here
Who's running for president in 2024?
What started as a crowded Republican field has now narrowed to seven GOP candidates.
Donald Trump remains the front-runner by more than 32 points in the latest released by the Des Moines Register, NBC News and Mediacom on Monday.
Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley trail behind, with DeSantis in second at 19% and Haley in third at 16%. Vivek Ramaswamy is polling at 5%, and Chris Christie is polling at 4%.
Asa Hutchinson and Ryan Binkley both polled at less than 2% among likely Republican caucusgoers.
Iowa caucus precinct locations
Both Iowa Republicans and Democrats have released caucus locations. Some locations may change before Jan. 15, so both parties encourage caucusgoers to check for updates.
WHERE DO I CAUCUS?
Are you registered?
GOP caucusgoers must be legal residents of Iowa and registered Republicans before participating in a caucus. Iowans or on the night of the caucuses at their assigned site.
A valid form of identification is also required to participate.