By: Morgan Behrens

As a native New Yorker, when election time comes around, I fill out my absentee ballot while attending school in North Carolina. In all but six states, it is as simple as filling out a form and mailing in my ballot. However, in the remaining six states that continue to hold caucuses, Iowa, Nevada, North Dakota, Wyoming, Kansas, and Maine, the process of participating in your state’s primary becomes much more complicated. This is an issue that I had truthfully never previously considered. it is an issue, however, that I have dedicated my time to helping while volunteering with the Iowa Democratic Party while here in Iowa.

The way that the party outlines absentee caucusing is that they will provide a satellite caucus wherever there is a demonstrated need for one. This generally means that if there are more than ten people who are committed to caucusing somewhere outside of Iowa, they will provide the materials needed to get their vote to count. In the 2020 election, there are three locations outside of the United States that will be holding satellite caucuses: France, Scotland, and Jordan. Satellite caucuses are also held at multiple other areas within the States for those who have moved away from Iowa but still wish to participate. The definition of a demonstrated need, however, is also extended to include those who are unable to attend the caucus for other reasons.

A prominent issue surrounding voting locations is that they are not open late enough to allow everyone to vote regardless of their work schedules. This becomes more challenging, however, when everyone participating has to be in one space simultaneously for the process to be properly executed. For this reason, there are also several satellite caucuses held throughout Iowa to allow everyone to participate. In preset precincts for the caucus, doors open at 6:30 p.m. and in order to participate, a resident must be in line by 7:00 p.m. This time constraint, if not accounted for, would effectively silence the portion of the population who had to work these hours or were unavailable for a multitude of reasons.

My experiences in the past few days engaging with the caucus have been truly eye-opening. I have seen how truly privileged I am that these are questions that I have never had to consider before — as they have never been an obstacle for me to have my voice heard; working to ensure that everyone, no matter their situation, is able to participate in such a monumental event such as the first caucus of the 2020 election season. Every single box that I stuff with materials is for this very reason: So that every citizen of the great state of Iowa can have their voice heard. 

By: Erin Smith

     I became aware of the opportunity to go on this trip over a year ago in my
Global Experience class from the one and only Dr. Mark Dalhouse. He did not
have to do anything other than give a brief synopsis of the 2016 trip to have
me convinced that I NEEDED to be in Iowa in 2020. So, as all my friends were
applying to go abroad to Ghana or Hawaii for J-term, I was applying to go to a
landlocked, rural state in the middle of the US. But, I knew this trip would be
perfect for me, as everyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I lam at my peak when engaging in conversations and events centered around politics. I have always taken the time to stay informed about politics and current events, but after the 2016 election I felt the urge to become even more dedicated and involved. That is when I found my overwhelming passion for all things politics and I am thrilled to finally have
the chance to pursue this passion during such an interesting and particularly
pivotal time for the United States.

     Within the first 5 minutes on the bus ride to our hotel in Des Moines, I
began to see the countless billboards and yard signs advertising the caucus or
a particular candidate in every direction I turned. It took a whole bus of eyes
to catch each time we passed a candidate’s sign and to shout out the name. We all
seemed to be in our element as we discussed what we hoped to see and experience during our 12 days in Iowa. I was especially nervous about how my trip would play out because I had never done anything even remotely like this before. Also, it seemed like most of the class knew each other in some capacity, but I didn’t really know anyone that well beforehand. Luckily, it didn’t take me long to gravitate towards the other girls that were going to be volunteering for the Elizabeth Warren Campaign with me. I honestly
feel like I owe it all to Elizabeth Warren for being so amazing that we could
bond over her and her Golden Retriever, Bailey.

     The next day marked the first time I officially volunteered for a political
campaign and I learned firsthand what it meant to actually go out and caucus. We
arrived at the campaign office and the first thing I noticed was a wall covered
in all the different reasons people were supporting Elizabeth Warren for President.
The sheer numbers and content of the answers ensured me that I chose the right candidate to caucus for. After a brief orientation from an incredible staffer, we were off to knock on over 60 doors to canvass voters. I spent the first few doors observing my classmate because she was an experienced canvasser and I truly had no idea what I was doing. I was expecting to have many doors slammed in our faces, but I discovered that the notion of “Iowa nice” to be extremely accurate. We ended up speaking to one woman who actually invited us inside so we could ask her about the caucuses and her thoughts on the whole process. Also, we got to meet a beautiful puppy named Sergeant Pepper after his owner chased him through the house specifically so we could pet him. I feel like I have already learned so much about Iowans and the impact of the caucuses
just from the first day I was able to be on the ground. I’m pleasantly surprised
at the ease in which I have been able to engage in conversations with almost
every Iowan I come into contact with. I can’t wait to see what the upcoming days have to offer. When I give my next update, I plan to include a picture of the selfie I will take with Elizabeth Warren at her event on Sunday. I’m officially putting that out there to manifest it into a reality. 

By: Emma Greenberg

Picture a room filled with nothing but white boxes. Now, multiply that by ten. It’s been my office for the last two days. When I began working for the Iowa Democratic Party, I was told that I was not going to be doing the “sexy work.” I took this to mean that I wasn’t going to be the one shaking the candidates hands and welcoming them to the great Hawkeye State. I did not take this to mean that I was going to be packing box after box for the Iowa caucus, which includes over 1,600 precincts. Despite the constant struggle of avoiding paper cuts, and packing box after box for hours on end, I have been able to see the rewards of my labor and have learned a lot about the Iowa caucus throughout the process.

I originally came to Iowa having a very vague understanding of how the caucus works. I, however, have learned a lot since. I never really understood just how much work goes into the caucus. Before people can even show up to the high school gym or their local barn to scream the names of their favorite candidates hoping to be viable, there is first a lot of work. Beyond just the boxes that need to be packed, there is an incredible amount of organization that must be completed. There are 99 counties in Iowa. Each county contains a different and varied number of precincts. Each precinct needs to be equipped with all the materials needed to run a caucus as well as people properly trained on the ins-and-outs of the caucus. People who can deal with the confusion of the grassroots democracy that is about to take place in 24 days. 

One thing I never even thought to consider was what happened to the people who were not in the Hawkeye State on February 3rd. However, I have since learned that they hold satellite caucuses throughout the United States and even globally. There will be satellite causes held in Texas, Florida, New Mexico, Scotland, Paris, and even outside of Jordan! The combination of all the caucuses will be counted as a 100th district in Iowa. After learning this, it was easy to reflect on how Iowa and the caucus goes way beyond the state alone. It is a global movement, and one that changed my perspective on the caucus. The fact that one can leave the country but still be part of the groundwork of state democracy shows just how globally connected this world is. One does not need to leave the country to expand their global experience (this is a shameless plug for @ElonGlobal, but really they are the best.) 

Despite the knowledge that I have to wake up early on a Saturday to go pack boxes for the third day in a row, I am not upset. I know my work, while not glamorous or sexy, plays a big role in the democratic process. Each day, I am surrounded by the papers that the citizens of Iowa will fill out to see how many delegates they elect each candidate. The results of this are major. The power is really in the hands of the people. So while it might be easier to simply go and cast a ballot like most primaries do – the caucus allows for one to interact with their neighbors, to have their voice heard, and to be apart of making history. To me, the work might not be sexy, but it is worth it. 

By: Victoria Egan

Two days ago when we first landed in Des Moines, everything felt so surreal. I could not believe that I was in Iowa and about to embark on a once in a lifetime adventure that I know will be one I remember for the rest of my life. The Iowa Caucus is something that I have learned about for years in my U.S. government and history classes and is now something that I will get to experience the effects of first hand. My first day began with rounds of phone calls to voters informing them about Pete Buttigieig’s town hall he will be holding in Des Moines on Sunday. While a majority of my phone calls went to voicemail, the few individuals I talked to were genuinely nice, something you would not experience in New England. As I was making these calls I began to realize how much of an impact my small actions were having. For the first time in my life, I truly felt as if I was a part of something so much bigger than myself.   

In the afternoon it was time to go out to a neighborhood and start canvassing, something that scared me even more than making phone calls. Despite being given the option, I decided to go out and do it anyway because I know how much of an impact talking to voters face to face can have, and honestly, when would I have the opportunity to do this again? I am so glad I did because if I had not I never would have met Linda. Linda is the definition of ‘Iowa nice.’ When she opened her door she told us that she was unsure of who she was going to caucus for, a trend that seems consistent among many Iowa voters. After talking to her for a few minutes she expressed her strong liking of Pete Buttigieg but was not sure she was ready to fully commit. At the end of the conversation, she told us that she “was honored to know us” and that she greatly admired the work we were doing. This completely made my day and touched me on a deep level, proving to me once more just how important what I am doing here in Iowa is.

My second day of making phone calls started rough with the first person angrily refusing my phone call and annoyed. After a couple of voicemails, my second answer was an individual who told me the person I was trying to reach was dead. This set my day off a little depressing and dark but as I continued, I was once more shown the ‘Iowa nice’ with almost everyone else I talked to and had such enthusiastic Pete supporters. Although we were preparing to head out again today and canvas, the higher-ups in the campaign decided to call off all canvassing due to the weather. It started as freezing rain and quickly became a heavy snowfall which resulted in an early end to the workday. Overall, the first few days have been extremely powerful and eye-opening. Although there are exceptions, a majority of Iowans who I have talked to over the past two days are truly engaged with the democratic process. They know the candidates, get enthusiastic about the candidates and realize the important role their state plays in our country’s presidential elections. This journey has just begun and I have already learned so much and met some incredible individuals. With only 24 days until the caucus, I know that this is just the beginning of a ride of a lifetime. 

By Kenna Cramer

I’m no longer angry, just sad. The night prior I attended my first presidential event in Iowa. Despite my first-day exhaustion, I was excited and grateful; I have been gifted the rare opportunity to witness and hear candidates speak. Quickly into a particular candidate’s response, I had become lost and confused. Not only could I not resonate with this democratic candidate, but I couldn’t even decode their answers to the specific questions directed towards them. 

Amid my complete and utter puzzlement, the presidential candidate’s claim suddenly caught my attention: there is no mental health crisis, rather, it is the government making people ‘crazy’. I was immediately shocked, quickly proceeding into anger. As an individual with a close loved one who suffers from a severe mental illness, I was baffled. How could someone, seemingly an educated presidential candidate, further perpetuate malicious stereotypes? 

Throughout the night, I had to decompress; my emotions ranged from anger to the verge of tears. Yes, the current administration has caused much distress and anxiety in this country, however, no government caused the bipolar and suicidal tendencies within not only my loved one but others suffering from mental illness. 

Now, I am no longer angry, just sad. I am saddened that important American figureheads still believe and candidly express such ignorance. I am saddened that such messages are being received and further spread by their support. And, overall, I am saddened that those with a mental illness are continued to be furthered isolated. 

By: Lindsay Carter

Alas, the sun has set on the Hawkeye state and our first full day in Iowa has come to an end. Today offered a fantastic glimpse into the world of the Iowa Caucus and included everything from petting voters’ dogs to attending my first ever presidential candidate rally. Most of my day was spent canvassing for Elizabeth Warren’s campaign in suburban Des Moines. The neighborhood was a bit older and mostly working class, brought to mind images of the classic American Dream. You know the one; white picket fences and American flags on every porch, children’s toys scattered throughout the yard and dogs barking at the front windows. This sentiment was echoed in the fact that very few of the voters were home during the middle of the workday. Perhaps they were slaving away in a cubicle somewhere, or maybe they were just tired of answering the door for fresh-faced college students reminding them to go caucus on February 3^rd.

In total, I helped knock on nearly 70 doors and got my workout in for the month by walking over 4 miles. The demographics about Iowa don’t lie, as nearly all of the residents that answered their doors were White. The lack of diversity in such a working-class neighborhood is particularly interesting because I live in an extremely diverse working-class neighborhood in Raleigh. Speaking of canvassing, I was able to have many informative conversations with Iowans about why they are choosing not to caucus this year. Two different voters on our canvassing route, as well as our Uber driver, firmly expressed their desire to avoid the Caucus. One of the more interesting points made was that caucusing in Des Moines is totally different experience than caucusing in any smaller town. One resident told us that they felt the impersonal nature of caucusing in such a large city makes it a chore because they cannot fully discuss the candidates with their friends. Another resident stopped attending caucuses many years ago because they felt that they had no voice in the process. Only those with really loud support for a candidate are often listened to, and those who may have power on a paper ballet are unable to get a word in.

After canvassing and eating a hearty Scottish meal (I very highly recommend the fish and chips at the Royal Mile downtown), I attended the Bill Weld and Marianne Williamson rally/event/gathering. The biggest surprise of the day came in the fact that Bill Weld is such an intriguing candidate. Running on the Republican ticket, he holds many progressive views that can arguably be viewed as more liberal than those of Tulsi Gabbard. While he very likely won’t win the nomination, Weld has plenty of policy experience that may land him in somewhere in Washington. As for Marianne Williamson, her speech felt like a mix between a fever dream and a  1960s anti-war protest. Perhaps there is a place for love in this world to solve small misunderstandings, but large political crises are not solved by simply abandoning everything and loving one another. I can say for certain, though, that I am loving Des Moines so far and look forward to my time here and all of the crazy events that I am sure to experience.

By Aileen Bell

I walked away from the house, back onto the sidewalk ready to cross the street to knock on the door of another Des Moines, Iowa Democrat. That’s when the pain started. I had rolled my left ankle. I screamed an expletive and hopped on one foot until the pain subsided enough to limp up the stairs of a single-family home. When my day started, I hadn’t expected it to go like this, and I’m sure you’re wondering how I ended up here.

After waking up earlier than I normally enjoy to hop in the shower and grab some breakfast, I climbed onto our charter bus with a significant amount of our class ready to head to Ingersoll Avenue to volunteer for my top choice candidate and favorite person of all time, Elizabeth Warren. Along with 4 other Elon students, I arrived promptly at eleven to a staffer that seemed slightly surprised by our presence but was able to get us to work quickly almost immediately splitting us up to head out to canvas.

            Our canvassing began with excitement. I rolled my ankle only minutes after being dropped off by our Uber. Luckily, I have strong ankles and recovered quickly. Most of the pain was gone by house number four. Other than that and many dogs seen through street facing windows, this was actually one of the dullest canvassing experiences I’ve ever had. Most of the houses were absent of people able to speak to us, and most of the people who did answer weren’t interested in prolonged conversations. We did find one person committed to caucusing for Warren, not surprisingly a younger college-aged student, and we even got him to fill out a “fight card” a feat our field organizer was shocked we managed our first day. Otherwise, most people, without saying it directly, seemed tired of the process and having people at their doors.

            The most candid answers we heard about these feelings actually came from some of our Uber drivers throughout the day. When heading to our different neighborhoods for canvassing, we had a driver curious about our presence in Iowa. He had lived in Des Moines for over 20 years but hadn’t participated in a caucus until 2016. The hype didn’t make sense to him and he said it was an experience cherished more by natural born Iowans. Our Lyft driver after dinner, Bruce, expressed similar sentiments. He also had issues with the way the caucuses work. He had only participated in one before and had no interest in participating again. He said they were too time consuming and was also annoyed he couldn’t attend the opposite party’s caucuses due to the way voter registration works within Iowa. These complaints and general disdain were interesting to hear, as I personally love the idea of the caucuses and think they are a shining part of our democracy.

            I’m looking forward to, hopefully, having longer and more serious conversations with voters as we attend rallies and continue to volunteer. I was hoping voters would be more interested in talking to us, but that wasn’t the case. Hopefully, we just had a bad batch of turf, and I’ll have much more interesting stories to tell later.

By Mackenzie Ferguson

Starting my first day in Iowa excited to volunteer for Elizabeth Warren’s campaign, I could only imagine the difference that I would make through participating in a historic political event that I have studied intensely in my political science classes. Knowing the past couple of months that I had the opportunity to come to Iowa during the political caucuses, I had dreams of entering a state where everyone was politically engaged and excited about their role of being first in the nation. However, my dreams were quickly turned upside down on my way to canvas for Warren, as I engaged which my uber driver in a conversation about the caucuses. I asked him about the caucus process and what he thought about it, and he informed me that he only went to his first caucus in 2016 after living in the state for 25 years. He was not impressed with the caucus process and did not know if he would participate in it again. As Kelly Clarkson’s “Dark Side” played through the radio of the uber, I felt my hopes of a unified politically engaged state start to darken as well.

Hoping that the uber driver was the only one who was not excited to be politically engaged in the Iowa caucuses, I started knocking on doors hopeful to confirm my dreams of Iowans who loved politics and wanted to debate policy positions. A combination of the Iowa wind and the first 20 doors I knocked on being unanswered started to chip away at that hope once again. Finally, when someone answered the door, I started reciting the Warren script waiting to banter about policy positions and candidates. The lady at the door, who was wearing a purple cat sweater, was extremely polite throughout my speech, but quickly told me that she did not caucus and would not be voting in the primary this year. Questioning why someone would give up the opportunity to be a part of something so iconic and historical, she informed me that because she was not a loud person, she did not believe that her voice was heard during the caucus process. Not only did she believe that she did not have a voice, she also did not quite understand the caucus process and was not willing to deal with the hassle. Throughout the day, I saw that this lack of enthusiasm for the caucus was a pattern. When people actually answered the door, they did not seem to be politically engaged or have a strong opinion about who they were going to vote for with only 24 days until the caucus.

While I understand this was only a glimpse into the entirety of the Iowa caucuses, I could not help but be disappointed in the way that the people of Iowa viewed their role in the determination of the country’s politics. Throughout the day I could not help but wonder whether the Iowa caucus is only a tourist trap, something to bring in politically engaged outsiders into the state to annoyingly push the locals to participate in an event that haunts them and their daily lives for a certain period of time every four years. While I hope I will be proven wrong in the days to come, does the stereotype of Iowans being political activists actually live up to the truth? Or are the caucuses hyped up by those outside Iowa too much?

By: Katie Zimmermann

Love – the common theme of my first full day in Iowa.

When you walk into Cory Booker’s campaign field office, the first thing you see is a handmade poster that reads “Lead with Love.” This phrase and the word “love” is plastered around the office. This corresponds with Booker’s main message from the launch of his campaign – to unite and heal Americans.

I spent the majority of my day canvassing with one of the campaign’s organizers and listened to her conversations with Iowans. Over and over again I heard her emphasize Booker’s main goal as president:bring Americans together. I listened as she explained to constituents how Booker has spent his career tackling our country’s biggest problems. Throughout his time in politics, he has reached across the aisle to ensure effective, necessary policies are passed. The people we talked to nodded along with what she said. They agreed that in order to heal America our next president must be able to work and create change with people from all political ideologies.

Another presidential candidate has emphasized love in her campaign: Marianne Williamson.

Tonight, I attended an event where Williamson spoke. The pamphlet on my seat started with the words: “America needs our love and our wisdom in order to rise…,” reinforcing her message of love. Shortly after arriving, some of my peers and I engaged in a conversation with one of her volunteers. The volunteer happily responded our questions about Williamson’s policy proposals regarding everything from free education to her stances on vaccinations.

I asked the volunteer how Williamson plans to pass her progressive policies with a Republican controlled Congress. Her answer was simple: “Where there’s a will there’s a way.” She went on to explain that when Williamson puts her mind to something, she gets things done.

Williamson’s volunteer failed to provide any explanation of how Williamson plans to ensure her policy proposals are passed and implemented. On the contrary, earlier in the day I witnessed Booker’s organizer demonstrate how he has already accomplished to pass bipartisan legislation and will continue to do so in the White House. She explained to over a dozen of Iowans that Booker is the only presidential primary candidate who has passed a bipartisan bill in Congress that was co-sponsored by a Republican senator. 

I agree that love is important and that Americans uniting is essential for our country to progress. However, in order to move forward our country’s next president must be able to get legislation passed by Congress. Nothing in America will ever change if no new bills are passed or implemented.

So, in short, love and spreading love is great, but is not all you need to lead a country.