Parties prepare for Missouri caucuses to replace presidential preference primary in 2024

In less than a year, Missouri will hold local level caucuses in lieu of the presidential preference primary elections.

The Missouri Republican, Democratic and Libertarian parties have always used the caucus system to choose their presidential candidate, but this is the first time that many voters will interact with it firsthand at the local level.

Generally, Missouri’s major political parties would hold caucuses following the presidential preference primary election to select delegates for party nominating conventions.

Delegates from each county are sent to a congressional convention and a state convention. At these conventions, a smaller group of delegates are selected to represent their Congressional District and the state at large at the party’s national convention and presidential electors are chosen.

While the results of the primary would indicate the people’s preference for presidential candidates, it did not necessarily mean the winners of the popular vote were chosen as Missouri’s selection for the parties’ candidate.

“We either need to have a primary where, when the people vote, they directly choose those delegates so that people are actually choosing,” said Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft. “Or get rid of the primary, and quit lying to the people and say, ‘If you want to choose the delegates, this is how you do it.’”

What is a caucus, and how can I participate?

At the county level, political parties will invite members of the public who identify as either a Republican, Democrat or Libertarian to participate in the selection of delegates to represent their respective parties at congressional and state caucus conventions.

The Green Party and Constitution Party of Missouri lost ballot status for this election, so they will not be participating.

Each participant must live in the county, be a registered voter, and steadfastly affirm their party affiliation. To be chosen as a delegate, the same conditions apply. Alternate delegates are also chosen should a primary delegate be unable to participate or have their party affiliation contested.

Danette Proctor, chair of the Greene County Republican Central Committee, said that there is generally a credentialing committee at the congressional caucus committee that verifies contested party affiliations.

“That's always a contentious issue because you will see people in there that you've never seen before, and you really don't know what they are,” Proctor said. “They could have been a Democrat or a Libertarian yesterday, but then today, they're Republican.”

The Missouri Republican Party is still working to certify the final rules for the caucus and the date it will be held. It hopes to have results by October, at which time it will begin an outreach campaign to notify voters of the changes.

The Missouri Democratic Party is currently working to finalize what its process will be under the existing presidential caucus. Russ Carnahan, chairman of the Missouri Democratic Party will meet with the party’s executive committee members in August, where they will discuss the plan moving forward.

Peverill Squire, a political science professor at the University of Missouri, raised concerns about implementing a county or district level caucus across the state.

“I can see a nightmare scenario unfolding because it takes a lot of time, effort, organization and preparation to pull off a caucus,” Squire said. “If that’s happening, it’s not visible at this point.”

Why is the state eliminating the presidential preference primary?

In 2022, the state legislature approved a bill that reverted Missouri to a statewide caucus system for the first time since 1996.

A county level caucus was held in 2012 by the Missouri Republican Party after the presidential preference primary was scheduled in February, which violates party rules. Both Democratic and Republican parties mandate that Missouri’s primary must be held no earlier than March.

Two lawmakers introduced legislation to repeal the change during the 2023 session of the General Assembly, but it was unsuccessful.

More: Missouri legislators aim to make it harder for citizens to change state law, constitution

“The Republican Party chairman and I both testified before the Missouri House of Representatives, asking lawmakers to return the process back to primaries,” Carnahan said. “I was extremely disappointed when the legislature failed to return Missouri to a presidential primary election. We know that fewer than 1% of voters participate in presidential caucuses.”

Voter participation is one of the primary concerns of opponents, who feel that the time and knowledge required to participate in a caucus will exclude some voters. Caucuses can sometimes take hours to complete.

“I think people are going to be shocked at how difficult it is for them to participate,” Squire said.

In the 2020 presidential preference primary, about 21% of registered voters participated. However, in neighboring Iowa, which uses a caucus system, voter participation was about 9%.

The pandemic's effect on voter turnout that year cannot be entirely ignored, but there were disparities in 2016 as well. Missouri’s presidential preference primary brought about 35% of voters to the polls, while Iowa saw roughly 16% participate in its caucuses.

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“Now, we're stuck with the antiquated system of presidential caucuses we got away from in the 1990s,” Carnahan said. “Caucuses suppress voter turnout, harming our democratic values of broad participation and inclusion of all voters.”

However, there are some benefits for taxpayers of eliminating the presidential preference primary. Ashcroft estimates savings for the state of around $10 million, as political parties are responsible for funding the caucuses.

“There is no perfect way to do it. There are pros and cons to both the presidential primary, and to a caucus,” Ashcroft said. “At caucuses, we the people get together and, hopefully, politely cuss and discuss, and I love that idea.”

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri political parties prepare for 2024 presidential caucuses