Among the nearly 100 satellite caucus sites approved by the Iowa Democratic Party, 12 will accommodate cultural and language needs for different communities.
In order to make it more accessible to participate in the statewide community meetings for Democratic precandidates, also known as “caucuses”, the Iowa Democratic Party has approved bilingual satellite caucus locations in Des Moines and Muscatine, IA, where the process will take place in English and Spanish. The Des Moines satellite caucus will be located at the South Suburban YMCA at 401 E Army Post Rd in Des Moines, starting at 7:00pm and it will be open to any person eligible to exercise their right to vote in the United States. The Muscatine Spanish Caucus location is 1403 Park Avenue, Muscatine, Iowa (Muscatine Community College McAvoy Center) Doors open at 6:00 pm Caucus starts at 7:00 pm
To participate in the caucuses, voters must be in line on Monday February 3rd by 7:00pm, or earlier, to ensure they can get in. Nobody will be able to enter any caucus after doors close at 7:00pm.
“Satellite caucus goers do not need to pre-register to attend satellite caucuses that are in-state, open to the public, and start after 6pm CST,” said the Iowa Democratic Party in a press release. “Iowans who attend an in-state satellite caucus that begins at 7pm CST are able to change their registration at the satellite caucus site,” the statement said.
The request for a satellite caucus came from volunteers who wanted greater linguistic inclusion so that Spanish-speaking Latinos could feel more comfortable participating in their native language. In addition, the possibility of having informal children’s activities at the site is being evaluated. In Muscatine on-site childcare will be provided. Caucus goers will be able to bring their children. The full satellite caucus list can be found here.
“It is of utmost importance for people to understand the process well in their language and be encouraged to go to these caucuses,” said Vanessa Marcano-Kelly, one of the volunteers who submitted the satellite caucus application for Des Moines. “I read that, of about 60,000 registered Latino voters in Iowa, only around 2,000 participated in the 2016 caucuses. We must make the effort to expand engagement”.
“Muscatine, Iowa has one of the largest Latino populations in the State of Iowa and the approval of a Spanish speaking caucus means that members of the community will be able to participate in the caucus process and have their voices heard” said Nick Salazar, LULAC Iowa State Director.
Caucuses are community meetings conducted by the parties (Democrat and Republican) to choose a presidential candidate to represent the respective party. During presidential election years, Iowa takes a center stage, given that it’s the first state in the nation to hold the candidate election process, setting a trend for the country. To know more information about the Democratic caucuses, please visit iowademocrats.org/2020-caucuses.
Des Moines Satellite bilingual caucus:
Date: Monday, Feb. 3, 2020
Time: doors open at 6pm, caucus starts at 7pm. Must be in line by 7pm or earlier.
Location: South Suburban YMCA, 401 E Army Post Rd in Des Moines
Muscatine Satellite bilingual caucus:
Date: Monday, Feb. 3, 2020
Time: doors open at 6pm, caucus starts at 7pm. Must be in line by 7pm or earlier.
Location: 1403 Park Avenue, Muscatine, Iowa (Muscatine Community College McAvoy Center) *On-Site childcare will also be provided*
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