In a significant shift in the Democratic Party's presidential nominating calendar, the Iowa Democrats have acquiesced to the Democrat National Committee's (DNC) proposal to transition the state's 2024 Democratic caucuses to a vote-by-mail process.
The results of this process will be released on March 5, also known as Super Tuesday, instead of being one of the first contests in the nation as has been the tradition since 1972.
The DNC rules panel approved the plan on Friday, which was proposed by the Iowa Democrats earlier that day. The new process will span several months, allowing voters to mail in their presidential preference card from mid-January until March.
The registration for receiving a preference card will commence on November 1, and the cards will be mailed out starting January 12. Democratic voters will have until February 19 to request a card, which must be mailed by March 5.
However, Scott Brennan, Iowa's representative to the DNC panel, clarified that these changes are only applicable for the 2024 election. "We intend to be first in 2028," Brennan told the DNC committee, as reported by the Des Moines Register. "So we're here to support the president in 2024, and by releasing the results on March 5, that's what we're doing. But all bets are off for 2028."
Iowa's decision to comply with the DNC's new calendar comes amidst an ongoing dispute between the DNC and the early voting state of New Hampshire. The Granite State is resisting efforts to reconfigure the 2024 presidential nominating calendar. Republican Governor Chris Sununu has pledged that New Hampshire "will not back down" in its bid to maintain its primary as the nation's first.
In early February, the DNC voted overwhelmingly to drastically alter the top of its presidential nominating calendar for the 2024 election cycle. This move displaced Iowa and New Hampshire from their longstanding leadoff positions, favoring South Carolina instead. The objective was to better represent Black and Hispanic voters in the early primary contests.
For years, Democrats have criticized both Iowa and New Hampshire for being unrepresentative of the party's overall demographic, citing their predominantly white populations and lack of major urban areas. Nevada and South Carolina, which have traditionally voted third and fourth on the calendar, are considerably more diverse than either Iowa or New Hampshire. These states were added to the Democratic calendar nearly two decades ago to increase the diversity of the early states electorate.
However, both Iowa and New Hampshire have resisted these changes. Last month, the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee granted New Hampshire a third extension to align with the national party committee's new schedule. This decision followed an announcement by New Hampshire Secretary of State Dave Scanlan that the state's presidential primary filing period would commence on October 11, potentially leading to a contest in late January, ahead of South Carolina.
Despite the extension granted by the DNC panel, New Hampshire is likely to be deemed non-compliant and penalized. The state is expected to hold an unsanctioned primary, which could prevent President Biden from appearing on the ballot.
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