On Friday, the Des Moines Register reported that officials at the Democratic National Committee are proposing reforms to the presidential primary process that, if adopted, could strip Iowa of its guaranteed first-on-the-calendar spot — potentially ending a tradition that is a huge moneymaker for the Midwestern state but that is increasingly criticized as flawed.
"A draft resolution, obtained and corroborated by the Des Moines Register, would set new criteria for early-voting states that favor primaries over caucuses and diversity over tradition," reported Brianne Pfannenstiel. "If the proposal advances, it would upend the party's presidential nominating calendar by requiring states to apply to hold their nominating contests before the rest of the country and expanding the number of early voting states to as many as five. Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, which currently lead off the process, would not necessarily be given preferential consideration over other states that apply."
Rules and Bylaws Committee Co-Chair James Roosevelt Jr. emphasized that the proposal will be part of "a broad discussion not reaching, as far as I expect, any final conclusions."
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Iowa has for decades been seen as a quintessential swing state. In fact, it is the only state in the last 30 years that has been carried by losing presidential candidates in both parties, although it has chosen the winner in 6 of the last 8 elections, making it a useful place for candidates to test voter messaging and retail politics.
But in recent years, political experts have increasingly criticized the structure of the Iowa caucus, which requires hours of time commitment for participants and thus excludes many working and disabled people from attending — many other states that used to hold caucuses have now switched to primaries for this reason. This is compounded by the disastrous execution of the Democratic caucus in 2020, which was plagued with issues including a voting app that was flawed and barely tested beforehand. That year saw a split result, with then-South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg winning the most delegates, but Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) winning the most votes.
