Rod Sullivan is a Johnson County supervisor.
I have written this before, but I feel very strongly that the Iowa Democratic Party needs to give up on the idea of caucuses.
First, let me be clear: I am not talking about the issue of First in the Nation. As far as I am concerned, the two issue need to be separate.
The argument is simple: in order to participate in the caucuses, you need to be at a set location, at a set time, and be prepared to stay for several hours. It is crowded, hot, you can’t hear, and it is often not fully accessible. There is no system of absentee voting, so anyone who cannot be there for any reason is excluded. The process is clearly undemocratic when compared to a primary election.
This makes caucuses bad for seniors, people with disabilities, people who lack transportation, single parents, second shift and on-call workers, people who are claustrophobic, and anyone else who cannot stand there for two hours.
Additionally, I hate the public nature of the vote. If your presidential preference is public, anyone with power over you (abusive spouse, boss, etc.) can manipulate your vote.
Finally, many precincts lack public buildings where 200 to 1,200 people can move around. It doesn’t work, and frankly, it creates dangerous situations.
Democrats cannot any longer claim to be the party of voting rights, then endorse a process that systematically excludes a big part of the population. So why do it?
I’m tired of fighting like crazy for better absentee voting rules—including a longer window—only to have the party bigwigs pretend that does not matter when it comes to our own process. We need a full-fledged presidential primary in Iowa. There is no amount of “tweaking” the caucus process that will ensure Iowans have the right to vote.
We are either for open, accessible voting or we aren’t. It is a version of the old labor question: “Which Side Are You On?” I am for voting. And I hope my party will join me! There is no excuse for anything less. The Democratic Party should never find itself on the side of making it harder to vote.
Here is a dirty little secret: being first never helped Iowa Democrats. It hasn’t helped us get the governorship or control at the statehouse. We have lost ground in courthouses across the state. Even city councils and school boards have moved the wrong direction. The caucuses are supposed to be this important organizing tool. But what they really are is a distraction.
Yes, a lot of money flowed into the state. But that money never came close to covering the very real costs—both monetary and human. Being first helped power brokers meet candidates. (I’ll be honest—it helped me meet candidates!) But it never did a damn thing for poor people in this state. Iowa Democratic Party mucky-mucks continue to be worried about going first. They need to start worrying about winning elections.
Trust me, I understand the luster of the Iowa caucuses. I have written at length about my own participation, dating back to the very first one, when I was just a kid. I love the caucuses. I have fond memories of the caucuses. I have only missed one Iowa caucus since the event started in 1972. But it is time for them to go.
Let me also comment briefly on the idea of “first.” Going first has been fun. It has allowed me to get to hang out with Dick Gephardt, Barack Obama, Elizabeth Warren, and countless other well-known politicians. I have met hundreds of really cool campaign staff people. So it has been good for me personally. But has it helped Iowa?
Iowa State University economist Dave Swenson has pointed out that the caucuses have surprisingly little economic impact. (Most media are owned by out-of-state corporations that do little to recycle ad dollars through Iowa’s economy.)
More importantly, are we better organized? I would say no. I believe the caucus takes our eye off the ball. We are worried about being first, when we should be worried about organizing.
It is time to replace the Iowa caucuses with a presidential primary.
Rod Sullivan (center), former State Senator Bob Dvorsky, State Senator Zach Wahls, and others with Senator Elizabeth Warren in Johnson County (photo provided by Rod Sullivan)
Editor’s note from Laura Belin: Bleeding Heartland welcomes guest commentaries on the future of the Iowa Democratic caucuses. Iowans who want to weigh in should also fill out the Iowa Democratic Party’s “2028 family conversation survey,” which will be available online through November 15, 2025.