cnn
,
The Democratic National Committee’s rules panel on Friday approved a plan by Iowa Democrats to follow the presidential nominating calendar proposed by President Joe Biden, moving the state from first in the nation. Has been held since 1972.
The panel also moved toward clearing New Hampshire Democrats of what is expected to be an early primary contest next year that would not follow party rules.
The Iowa plan is a major step toward implementing a revised nominating schedule adopted earlier this year by the national Democratic Party, which demoted traditional early voting states Iowa and New Hampshire while elevating South Carolina, Nevada and Michigan. Gave.
Under the new Iowa plan, which the state party announced shortly before Friday’s meeting in St. Louis, Democratic voters will have until March 5 to cast votes for a presidential candidate in a process conducted entirely by mail. There will be time.
Iowa Democrats will be able to register to receive presidential preference cards in the mail starting Nov. 1. Those cards will begin being mailed on January 12, 2024, and the last day to request will be February 19. The state party will release the results March 5, which is also the last day voters can mail their cards.
Iowa Democrats will also hold in-person caucuses on Jan. 15, the same day Iowa Republicans will gather, but those meetings will be used only to conduct party business, not to vote for president.
The new Democratic primary calendar stripped Iowa of its special status as the primary state, despite state law that requires caucuses to be held before any other contests.
In response, the state party adopted a rough outline of the plan Friday, in which the initial caucuses were separate from the presidential preference vote conducted by mail.
However, that initial plan did not include dates for the mail process, as the State Party wanted to remain “flexible” in terms of other calendar developments.
Without that information, the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee declined to approve the proposal at its June meeting, and national party staffers said that in order for the plan to comply with DNC rules, the vote-by-mail period would be extended to Super Tuesday. Must end on or after, or March 5 (the date on which each state is permitted to hold Democratic contests).
In a letter to the Rules Committee, Iowa Democratic Party Chairwoman Rita Hart wrote that the state party had created the new program “after conversations with DNC staff.”
Hart wrote, “We believe this delegate selection plan is a compromise and meets the requirements set forth by this committee, complies with Iowa law, and most importantly positions Iowa Democrats to win in 2024. Does.”
Hart also wrote that he has received “repeated assurances” from party officials that the calendar discussion will be reopened before 2028 and that he expects Iowa “to compete strongly for an important voice in selecting the Democratic nominee.” As we have been doing for years.” ,
“As a resident of the small town of Wheatland, Iowa, it is important that the small rural states in the heart of the Midwest have a voice in this process. “Democrats need our diverse rural communities to ensure future electoral victories,” Hart said in his letter.
Iowa rules panel member Scott Brennan said Friday that he has told his colleagues that his state still intends to go first on the 2028 calendar.
“We are here to support the president in 2024, and that’s what we’re doing by releasing the results on March 5,” Brennan told reporters on a press call. “But all bets are off for 2028.”
Attention will now turn to New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan, who is responsible for setting the date for his state’s presidential primary. Under state law, the date must be at least one week before any “similar election”.
Scanlan, a Republican, has said that the use of mail ballots in Iowa would trigger his state’s law, but that an Iowa mail process that does not end until March may not be much different from other situations in which later primary dates occur. States that have issued mail ballots before New Hampshire primary voters cast ballots. Because of those arrangements, New Hampshire did not have to move its primary date.
Hart told reporters Friday that although she was aware of New Hampshire’s concerns, she was not focused on them.
“I’m concerned about what’s best for Iowa and what’s best for Iowa Democrats, what’s best for democracy,” he said. “So that’s what we’re focused on. “That’s what we will continue to focus on.”
Scanlan said in a statement Friday that she is not ready to set her state’s primary date, but called the Iowa Democrats’ announcement “positive in terms of preserving the traditional status of the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire presidential primary.” .
Under the new Democratic calendar, the Granite State is only allowed to hold an early primary on February 6, 2024, the same day as Nevada and immediately after South Carolina holds its primary on February 3.
Without a date to comply with those rules, the New Hampshire Democrats’ plan was found in non-compliance by a DNC rules panel on Friday, meaning the state has 30 days to return with a proposal that follows the rules.
Scanlan has already said his state will not be in compliance with the DNC calendar. This could cost the New Hampshire Democrats Party delegates at the national convention next summer.
It would be a violation for Biden to campaign so early in New Hampshire or even put his name on the ballot, although voters can write in.
New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Raymond Buckley acknowledged during the meeting in St. Louis that Biden’s name likely would not be on his state’s primary ballot, but he said party leaders would make a write-in effort on the president’s behalf.
“We don’t know who will file a ballot,” Buckley said. “As you know, New Hampshire has a history of having over 50 or 60 names on the ballot of all kinds of very interesting characters. “We are committed to not allowing any of those people to claim that they won the New Hampshire primary.”
Ultimately, the calendar changes are unlikely to have much impact on the outcome of the 2024 nominating process, as Biden does not face any serious primary challenges. However, these moves set the stage for a high-profile battle over the Democratic program ahead of 2028.
Josh Putnam, a political scientist who tracks the presidential primary process, said Iowa’s plan could potentially help him gain primary position on the 2028 Democratic calendar.
“Iowa Democrats abandoned their traditional position at the top of the 2024 primary calendar so they can make a better case for joining the early window of the 2028 calendar and beyond. “This is the opposite of what Democrats have done in New Hampshire.” Posted on FridayThis platform was earlier known as Twitter.
“There is no guarantee that Iowa or New Hampshire make the early window for the 2028 calendar, but Iowa would have a very strong argument in 2026 for inclusion in 2028. They have worked with the DNC and have been supportive ,” Putnam said.
While some other states may still change their 2024 primary dates, the rest of the Democratic calendar is largely set.
Following Nevada, Michigan will hold its Democratic primary on February 27, and then kicks off the primary season with Super Tuesday on March 5.
This story and headline have been updated.