Iowa Dems reject absentee and internet voting for 2016 caucuses

[Mr. Morden]

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/run-2016/2014/05/02/democratic-national-committee-discusses-rules-iowa-thinks-internet-options

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[bedstuy]

I'm not 100% sure how the Iowa caucus works, but how could you have internet voting for a caucus at all?  Don't they have a system of on-the-spot reapportioning when candidates can't hit a specific percentage?  How is that ever going to work?

[Mr. Morden]

I'm not 100% sure how the Iowa caucus works, but how could you have internet voting for a caucus at all?  Don't they have a system of on-the-spot reapportioning when candidates can't hit a specific percentage?  How is that ever going to work?

You're correct.  It wouldn't really work unless there's back-and-forth communication, so that voters can reapportion their support, if their candidate turns out not to be viable.  Though I suppose if you submitted a preferential ballot, with every candidate ranked, then it could all be done automatically.

[retromike22]

I wish they would just have a primary.

[bedstuy]

I'm not 100% sure how the Iowa caucus works, but how could you have internet voting for a caucus at all?  Don't they have a system of on-the-spot reapportioning when candidates can't hit a specific percentage?  How is that ever going to work?

You're correct.  It wouldn't really work unless there's back-and-forth communication, so that voters can reapportion their support, if their candidate turns out not to be viable.  Though I suppose if you submitted a preferential ballot, with every candidate ranked, then it could all be done automatically.

I can't imagine adding internet participants to a live caucus.  It seems like it would be difficult to communicate between the live participants and internet people. 

I think the only way you could do it is separate internet caucus sites from live caucus sites.  But, then you even magnify the problem of the caucus site with only a few people getting disproportionate delegates.

[MurrayBannerman]

Caucuses are dumb.

[Joe Biden 2020]

As others have said, I'm not sure how this would work unless it is maybe a Skype caucus.  That still would be hard to do.  I agree with the call for a primary.

[Mr. Morden]

*bump*

Looks like the most broad proposals for expanding access to the caucuses have all been rejected:

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/08/2016-election-iowa-caucuses-109656.html?hp=l5

Instead, the Iowa Dems are going with some token changes to expand access, like adding additional caucus sites:

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/08/2016-election-iowa-caucuses-109656.html?hp=l5

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[retromike22]

Caucuses are dumb.

[Mister Mets]

I'm not 100% sure how the Iowa caucus works, but how could you have internet voting for a caucus at all?  Don't they have a system of on-the-spot reapportioning when candidates can't hit a specific percentage?  How is that ever going to work?

You're correct.  It wouldn't really work unless there's back-and-forth communication, so that voters can reapportion their support, if their candidate turns out not to be viable.  Though I suppose if you submitted a preferential ballot, with every candidate ranked, then it could all be done automatically.

A preferential ballot would allow some voters to opt out of the discussions. That could be problematic for preserving the caucus system.

That said, I have no problem with doing away with caucuses. It gives activists too much power.

[Simfan34]

Wasn't the New Mexico (Arizona?) Democratic primary in 2000 conducted online?