Iowa’s unique system up for debate

DES MOINES, Iowa — Some voters in Iowa worry the caucus system may not work.

“If you’re not afraid to disagree, it’s great,” said Chris Hartline, a Des Moines resident. Hartline said she loved the process, but that it can be intimidating for the average Iowan.

“You have to point yourself out,” Hartline said.

Unlike a silent vote in a primary, voters must stand up and make their position known in front of their communities.

Hartline said that with today’s divisive political climate, it’s even harder to do.

Hartline also worries that the caucuses have a “very bad rep,” because the state’s demographics do not reflect the makeup of the nation. Iowa, like New Hampshire, which holds the first primary on Feb. 11, is overwhelmingly white and a mostly rural state.

Another Des Moines resident, Scott Thompson, thinks that getting up in front of your neighbors is a great system for Iowa. However, he worries the “biggest shortcoming is being able to attend the caucus in such a short window of time.”

For Thompson, the problem was that, unlike a primary, caucus-participants may have to take time off from work to participate. Thompson saw this as a deterrent to Iowa voters.

Nonetheless, caucuses still have their fans. Fred Friedman travels from Chicago every four years to observe the caucuses and described himself as “active in politics for my entire adult life.”

“This is a rare, if not unique and wonderful system,” Friedman said. He described the caucus as “more democratic than anything else.”

Dante Camacho is a senior political science and history major with an intelligence and securities minor at Franklin Pierce University. He is from Shrewsbury, Mass.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2OmfAGq