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The Iowa Caucuses May Look A Little Different This Year
DES MOINES, IOWA — A crowd of nearly 60 Latino Iowans were listening on Sunday as Christian Ulcer taught them how to caucus.
Sunday’s mock caucus was one of several LULAC has been holding throughout Iowa this month in an attempt to explain the state’s notoriously confusing presidential primary process to first-time Latino voters. And there is good reason why many Latinos in Iowa might need to be shown how to participate. According to Joe Henry, LULAC’s vice president for the midwest, past Latino turnout for presidential caucuses has been dismal. Depending on who you talk to, only 1,000 to 2,000 Latinos came out to caucus in 2012, he said — less than 5 percent of eligible voters in the state.
But Henry expects things to be different this year. For the first time, LULAC raised enough money to organize a statewide “get out the vote”-type effort for Iowa’s growing Latino population. And Henry says their effort represents the first time anyone has formally asked the state’s Latinos to vote. In the past, most candidate- and party-driven turnout efforts have focused on what Henry calls “regular participants,” aka white people, who make up 91 percent of the state. Latinos make up just 5.6 percent.
“The political parties have never engaged with our communities in this process,” he said. “They’ve never valued our votes. So we’re engaging with our own community, and we’re expecting a big turnout.”
That big turnout he expects: anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 Latino caucus voters — more than Iowa has ever had in its history.
Sunday’s mock caucus was one of several LULAC has been holding throughout Iowa this month in an attempt to explain the state’s notoriously confusing presidential primary process to first-time Latino voters. And there is good reason why many Latinos in Iowa might need to be shown how to participate. According to Joe Henry, LULAC’s vice president for the midwest, past Latino turnout for presidential caucuses has been dismal. Depending on who you talk to, only 1,000 to 2,000 Latinos came out to caucus in 2012, he said — less than 5 percent of eligible voters in the state.
But Henry expects things to be different this year. For the first time, LULAC raised enough money to organize a statewide “get out the vote”-type effort for Iowa’s growing Latino population. And Henry says their effort represents the first time anyone has formally asked the state’s Latinos to vote. In the past, most candidate- and party-driven turnout efforts have focused on what Henry calls “regular participants,” aka white people, who make up 91 percent of the state. Latinos make up just 5.6 percent.
“The political parties have never engaged with our communities in this process,” he said. “They’ve never valued our votes. So we’re engaging with our own community, and we’re expecting a big turnout.”
That big turnout he expects: anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 Latino caucus voters — more than Iowa has ever had in its history.
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/02/01/3744644/latino-voters-iowa-caucuses/
