In addition to the 1,681 caucus precincts, some Iowa Democrats also have the option to attend either a "satellite caucus" or "tele-caucus" on Monday night.
Andy McGuire, head of the Iowa Democratic Party, describes these new caucus options as "baby steps" towards a more inclusive process.
For the satellite caucus, locations around the state could apply to take part if there was a valid reason why a large number of people wouldn't be able to caucus at a nearby precinct. A senior-living facility in Iowa city, the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown, and the behavioral health institutes in Glenwood and Woodward will make up the four satellite caucus locations.
"We had heard from people that there sometimes was mobility issues, or people having to work was a problem for them to get to the caucus, and so that’s why we initiated this," says McGuire. "They get to have a caucus right where they are."
All results from the satellite locations are combined to equal three delegates at the state party convention.
Nearly 90 Iowa Democrats will dial into one giant conference call for the tele-caucus, equaling two state-party convention delegates. The idea was to reach out-of-state Iowans such as active duty military, people in the Diplomatic Corps or Peace Corps, and students studying aboard.
"They get to use their phone to add their preference for a candidate, and then you can realign like a [regular] caucus," says McGuire.
Registration for both caucus options are now closed, but McGuire says she hopes her party will expand these efforts in the future.