Iowa Democrats have a new caucus process. How it will work
As soon as GOP candidates threw their hats into the ring last year, it's been full steam ahead to Monday's 2024 Iowa Republican caucuses.
But for the first time in several cycles, Democrats are taking a much different tack. They've ditched the Iowa caucuses all together -- at least when it comes to selecting a presidential nominee.
As Republicans host voters at their designated caucus locations on Jan. 15, the Democrats also will hold party business meetings to elect unbound and alternate delegates and vote on platform resolutions.
But that's where the similarities end.
Unlike their Republican counterparts, the Iowa Democratic Party will not host an in-person presidential preference contest, opting instead for mail-in ballots listing incumbent President Joe Biden, Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips, Marianne Williamson, and an option for "uncommitted."
The party started accepting requests for these cards via a Google form on the party's website and by mail on Nov. 1. And while they will start to be mailed out to voters on Jan. 12, they will not be accepted in person at the caucuses.
All cards must be postmarked by March 5, a date when more than a dozen other states hold their primaries, otherwise known as Super Tuesday.
Last winter, the Democratic National Committee voted to remove the Hawkeye State from its early primary calendar lineup, partially due to criticism that the state's racial demographics weren't fully representative of the party's base as a whole.
Under the new calendar, the 2024 Democratic presidential primary begins in South Carolina -- the state that revived President Joe Biden's campaign in the 2020 contest -- on Feb. 3.
At the time, this move caused some pushback from state Democrats who felt left behind. In order to remain in compliance with the committee's new rules, the state party moved its presidential preference contest to mail-in only.
Iowa Democrats' presidential preference results will be announced on March 5 as well, and delegates for the convention will be allocated based on those results. Only registered Iowa Democrats are allowed to participate in the caucus process.
Participants can register as a Democrat at their caucus location on Jan. 15, where they will be made to affirm that they have not participated in a caucus of any other political party as part of our mail-in process.
Iowa Democratic Chair Rita Hart told ABC News she anticipates a "strong turnout" despite the changes, and in fact, predicted this go-round to be the "most inclusive Iowa Caucus in Iowa history" for the party.
"For the first time a police officer or firefighter working the third shift, a parent who may not have child care, a snowbird who is spending the month in Arizona or Florida, and those in our disability community who struggles with home health care, can make their voices heard. Instead of showing up on one night - Iowans now have several weeks to cast their presidential preference" said Hart.
After a chaotic 2020 in Iowa for the Democrats where the state party found "inconsistencies" in the reporting of the results as they came in for review, Hart, who was elected to lead the state party last January, says "we're doing everything we can to move past that."
"We certainly would like to have not had that happen," she told ABC News. "The important thing is, is what are we doing to move ourselves forward and to get, get more Democrats elected. So, we're very cognizant of how that has affected us negatively. And we're doing everything we can to move past that."
She also stressed the party doesn't feel abandoned by the White House and national party figures, and believes the new plans projecting unity, in her estimation, unlike her Republican counterparts.
"The purpose of these meetings is different from the Republicans. It is an opportunity for folks to organize in their communities. We are building towards November while they are focused on a divisive primary."
ABC News' Sarah Herndon contributed to this report.
