How to Watch Lives From Today’s Meeting in Iowa
In Iowa tonight, several hundred thousand people will gather in libraries, community centers and evenbars to discuss and select their Democratic presidential nominee at a state convention.
Why do Iowa meetings matter at all, you ask? Well, winning the first ballot looks good … and results in Iowa at least often predict who will eventually become a party candidate ( though not always ).
The process itself is relatively simple; here is our guide on how caucuses in Iowa will work. In short, Democratic voters at each polling station gather in groups based on who they prefer. Each group is counted to determine if a particular candidate is “viable,” usually at least 15% support from voters, depending on the location of the assembly.
If a candidate fails to get 15% support, then that party can convince others to join their group or abandon theirs in favor of another candidate, and so on and so on, until the candidate ultimately emerges victorious. (Caucus for Republican voters in Iowa is an easier secret ballot process.)
The caucuses will start at 8:00 pm today, with the first results likely to be announced between 8:30 am and 8:45 pm. And while the meetings themselves won’t be televised, there are many ways to keep up.
For real-time updates:
For TV broadcasts / updates:
Curious who might be the leader in pre-caucus polls? Bernie Sanders led at least three recent polls.