Caucus Locations
(Le Mars) — If I want to participate in the Iowa Caucuses, where do I go, and what I do? Those questions are probably on the minds of several Plymouth County residents as Iowa’s first in the nation political process begins on February 1st. Both the Democrats and the Republicans will hold their caucus on the same evening.
As to the question where do I go to participate in the Iowa Caucus process, that depends upon whether you are registered as a Republican or as a Democrat.
If you have not yet registered as an eligible voter, officials with the Plymouth County Auditor’s office confirmed that voter registration can occur at the caucus location. However, you must commit yourself to either the Republican party or the Democrat party. A voter that labels themselves as an Independent, or another political party, is not eligible to participate in the caucus, unless they designate themselves with one of the two major political parties. Following the Iowa Caucus, a voter may, if they desire to be classified as an Independent voter, and re-register.
Both the Republican and the Democrat caucuses have some similarities, but they also have some differences. The word “Caucus” means a gathering of neighbors. Once the precinct chair convenes the meeting and declares the caucus to be in session, then the discussion will begin. Often times a designated person representing the candidate’s campaign will rise and speak to the caucus participants about the positive attributes of their candidate of choice and explain why that person should be considered to be our next president. The purpose is to inform people about the candidate, and to sway anybody to their side, should a caucus participant remain undecided as to which candidate they will support. Following the time allocated for speeches by a candidate’s supporters, people will have the opportunity to then choose their candidate. I use the word “choose” as opposed to vote, because there isn’t any ballot, or voting booth.
In the case of the Democratic caucus, your support for a particular candidate is open for all others to see. Focusing on the Democratic caucus for a moment, people will be asked to stand and usually then are asked to a designated area of the room and remain standing, while a precinct official counts the number of people “standing” for that candidate. Caucuses are not meant to be performed in a matter of a few minutes. Rather, it is likely the process may last for at least an hour, or better.
Another function of the caucus is to start the process of building a party’s political platform. Individuals are asked to submit resolutions, which will then be voted on by those attending the caucus. Should the idea or resolution pass the precinct level, it will be forwarded to the county political party convention. If the resolution passes the county level, it will then go on to the district political convention. If the resolution is adopted at the district convention, it will then be submitted to the state convention for consideration.
Caucus Locations
(Republican)
Precinct Area Served Caucus Location
Precinct 1 Portland Township and city of Akron St. Patrick’s Parish Hall
Akron
Precinct 2 Meadow, Remsen, Henry, and Garfield R-U High School Auditorium
excluding cities of Remsen & Kingsley Remsen
Precinct 3 Struble, Elgin, & America Townships Brunsville Legion Hall
excluding city of Le Mars Brunsville
Precinct 4 Preston, Grant, Johnson, & Washington Brunsville Legion Hall
including cities of Craig & Brunsville Brunsville
Precinct 5 Marion and Fredonia Townships including R-U High School Auditorium
cities of Oyens and Remsen Remsen
Precinct 6 Sioux and Westfield Township including St. Patrick’s Parish Hall
city of Westfield Akron
Precinct 7 Liberty, Plymouth, Stanton Townships Merrill Community Center Gym
including city of Merrill Merrill
Precinct 8 Hancock and Perry Townships Hinton Community Center
Hinton
Precinct 9 Hungerford and Lincoln Townships Hinton Community Center
including city of Hinton Hinton
Precinct 10 Union and Elkhorn Townships Kingsley Community Center
including the city of Kingsley Kingsley
Precincts All of the city of Le Mars Le Mars Convention Center
11,12, 13 Le Mars
(Democratic)
Precinct 1 Portland Township and city of Akron A-W High School Auditorium
Akron
Precinct 2 Meadow, Remsen, Henry, and Garfield R-U High School Commons
excluding cities of Remsen and Kingsley Remsen
Precinct 3 Struble, Elgin, and America Townships Willow Creek Banquet Hall excluding the city of Le Mars Le Mars
Precinct 4 Preston, Grant, Johnson, & Washington Corner Cafe
including cities of Craig & Brunsville Brunsville
Precinct 5 Marion and Fredonia Townships R-U High School Commons
including cities of Oyens and Remsen Remsen
Precinct 6 Sioux and Westfield Townships A-W High School Auditorium
including the city of Westfield Akron
Precinct 7 Liberty, Plymouth, Stanton Townships Kissinger Center,Upper Level
including the city of Merrill Merrill
Precinct 8 Hancock and Perry Townships Perry Township Hall
Precinct 9 Hungerford and Lincoln Townships Hinton Comm. Center-Small Room
Hinton
Precinct 10 Union and Elkhorn Townships K-P High School Library
including the city of Kingsley Kingsley
Precinct 11, 13 City of Le Mars Le Mars Comm. HS Commons
Precinct 12 City of Le Mars Le Mars Comm. HS Sr. Lounge
