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No one wants the Iowa Democratic caucuses to have an absentee process.
Iowa Democratic leadership doesn't want it because they're scared about First.
Bill Gardner doesn't want it because First. (thread)
Iowa Democratic leadership doesn't want it because they're scared about First.
Bill Gardner doesn't want it because First. (thread)
The DNC doesn't really want Iowa absentees, despite lip service to the new requirement for caucus states to have absentees, because they are actually more concerned about the longer standing fight to preserve the calendar.
DNC found out the hard way in 2007 that a broken calendar is unenforceable against states that are unwilling to cooperate. It ends up making the party look weak and they want to avoid having to referee between Iowa and New Hampshire.
Iowa haters and caucus haters don't want IA caucus to have absentees because they think this may finally be the way to kill us. (And they have cynically recruited the tech security community as allies.)
The presidential campaigns, despite rhetoric from one or two campaigns, don't really want the Iowa caucus to have absentees because they have already made battle plans that actively discouraged Virtual Caucus (RIP) because "it counts less."
The @dmregister and the rest of the Iowa media does not want absentees at the caucuses because they believe it risks First - and thus risks their polls, editorial boards, national TV appearances, and bottom line.
@DMRegister Iowa Republicans don't want Iowa Democrats to have an absentee process because they are worried about First and about double voting.
@DMRegister Rural Iowa Democratic county activists don't want absentees because they worry that without forced attendance in order to vote, no one will show up and they will not be able to organize their county committees.
@DMRegister Only two small and, it seems, insignificant groups want the Iowa Democratic caucus to have absentees.
1) Actual normal people in Iowa who don't want to or can't spend three hours on a Monday night just to vote, and who care more about that than about the benefits (?) of First.
1) Actual normal people in Iowa who don't want to or can't spend three hours on a Monday night just to vote, and who care more about that than about the benefits (?) of First.
@DMRegister These are not the people asking questions or getting selfies or even going to events. They don't care how many candidates are at your county party event or how the platform is worded. They just want to VOTE.
@DMRegister These are also the people who work second shift or get mandatory OT or are traveling or who have small children or can't drive at night or who have problems standing or who (like me) can't handle the stress of large and sometimes hostile crowds.
@DMRegister 2) Urban county Iowa Democratic activists who are concerned about literally not being able to fit into the biggest room that exists in the precinct, and who realize that you cannot "organize" and "party build" when precinct attendance is approaching quadruple digits.
@DMRegister If you're with me in those last two groups, we have two weeks to convince Iowa Democratic leadership that we NEED an absentee process and that the apparent direction from both Iowa and DNC - a waiver from the absentee requirement - is the wrong way to go.
@DMRegister We also have one last chance to convince Iowa Democratic leadership that the 10% cap on an absentee process is unfair. Absentees should be reported back to the individual precincts and counted equally, and should also be actively encouraged in order to address overcrowding. End
I broke the thread it continues:
