Story County's Democratic caucus will be held Monday at the Ames High School
Democratic caucuses in Iowa this year are different than they’ve been in past years.
In-person caucuses will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 15 across the state to elect delegates from each county for future primaries and caucuses. Other party business will also be conducted.
Voting for presidential and other candidates will be conducted by mail and will not occur at the caucus sites on Monday.
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Where and when will the Democratic caucus be held in Ames and Story County?
Registered Democrats from all Story County precincts are invited to participate in person Jan. 15, at the Ames High School gymnasium.
Registration begins at 6 p.m. and the caucus will be called to order at 7 p.m. You can participate if you are in line by 7 p.m.
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Who can participate in the Democratic caucus?
You must be a registered Democrat eligible to vote in the Nov. 5 election to participate in the Iowa Democratic caucus. You must be a resident of Story County to participate in the caucus at Ames High School.
Participants can update their party affiliation as well as addresses and register to vote at the caucus site.
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What will happen at the in-person Democratic caucus?
Story County Democrats who wish to serve on the Central Committee or Convention Committees will be voted on by those in attendance. There will not, however, be in-person voting for presidential candidates. That will be done by mail only.
Unbound delegates, who will represent the county at the district convention and possibly the state and national conventions, will be elected by those in attendance. Unbound delegates are not pledged to any specific candidate.
The caucus is also a time to submit resolutions to the Democratic Platform. Any registered Democrat can propose a plank to the platform.
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How to vote in the Democratic caucus
This year, voting for presidential preference will be conducted by mail.
Registered Story County Democrats can request a mail-in presidential preference card to be sent to their home. Forms will be available at the caucus site or the Story County Democrats website, storydems.org/caucus.
Story County Dems will begin mailing presidential preference cards to voters on Friday, Jan. 12.
What is the deadline for requesting a Presidential Preference Card?
Feb. 19 is the last day registered Iowa Democrats can request a presidential preference card. Request a card by submitting an online request from the Story County Democrats website, storydems.org, or print out a form and mail it to the address indicated.
When will presidential preference results be announced?
The Iowa Democratic Party will release the the mail-in Presidential Preference Cards results on March 5.
Ronna Faaborg covers business and the arts for the Ames Tribune. Reach her at rlawless@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Story County Democrats will caucus Jan. 15 at the Ames High School
