What's the difference between the Iowa Caucus and a presidential primary?

Iowans will kick off the presidential nominating process at the Jan. 15 Republican caucuses.

After a dramatic rearranging of the Democratic primary calendar and the passage of a new state law requiring in-person caucusing, it's more important than ever to distinguish between caucuses like Iowa's and primaries like New Hampshire's.

Here's what Iowans need to know about the difference between a caucus and a primary.

What's the difference between a caucus and a primary?

Political parties organize caucuses, which are in-person meetings of registered party members.

Ahead of the 2024 caucuses, the Republican Party of Iowa has organized more than 1,500 caucus sites at schools, churches, legion halls and other venues across the state.

More:Where do I caucus? Republicans release Iowa Caucus sites for presidential nominations

On Jan. 15, registered Republicans may attend their local caucus site at 7 p.m. sharp and voice their support for a candidate. It's a more social affair than primaries: Rather than silently filling out a ballot, caucus attendees will hear speeches from their neighbors on behalf of the different Republican candidates.

After the speeches, caucusgoers will write down their favorite candidate on a blank slip of paper. Leaders from each precinct will tally the ballots and report the total for each candidate to the Republican Party of Iowa.

When all the results are in, the party will allocate Iowa's 40 delegates proportionally, based on how many times caucusgoers wrote down a candidate's name.

Most other states have primary elections, which are similar to general elections.

In places like New Hampshire or South Carolina, voters may go to the polls on the day of the primary, or they can request an absentee ballot in the mail. The ballot lists all of the candidates, and voters secretly select their preferences.

State governments organize primaries, instead of state political parties.

Some states award delegates proportionally, while others use a "winner-take-all" method, awarding delegates only to the first-place finisher.

More:Everything you need to know about the Iowa caucuses ahead of the 2024 presidential race

Why does it matter that Iowa has a caucus? Why is Iowa first?

Iowa has almost always held presidential caucuses, but it has only been first-in-the-nation since 1972.

That year, Iowa was first on the calendar, and political operative Gary Hart encouraged Sen. George McGovern to focus on Iowa campaigning to get a boost. McGovern came in second in Iowa, but went on to win the Democratic nomination that year. (Then he lost the general election in a landslide, but that's not Iowa's fault.)

Jimmy Carter employed the same Iowa campaigning strategy in 1976, winning the caucuses, the Democratic nomination, and the presidency. Since then, presidential candidates have flocked to Iowa, eager for the media attention and the momentum of a caucus win.

Supporters of the caucus process say it's beneficial for candidates to develop deep support networks among Iowans. Winning someone's vote is one thing, but inspiring them to attend an event on a snowy January evening requires a different kind of enthusiasm. Plus, the social caucus process encourages conversation among neighbors.

Critics of caucuses argue the process isn't accessible to people with evening shifts, disabilities, or caregiving responsibilities. It's also a process run by party volunteers, potentially creating more room for errors than a state-run primary — like the Republican precinct captain who went to bed in 2012 without sending along her results, or the meltdown of the Democrats' caucus app in 2020.

But Iowa's caucuses are more than just a state preference. The caucus is part of a complicated web of state laws, handshake deals and intra-party politics that decides the order of the presidential nominating contest.

One key agreement: Iowa Republicans may have the first nominating contest, but New Hampshire Republicans have dibs on holding the first presidential primary.

If Iowa's caucus process veers too close to a primary, New Hampshire may try to hold its contest before Iowa.

What's up with the Democratic caucuses?

Iowa Democrats have dramatically changed the way they caucus in 2024.

In 2020, Democrats gathered at 7 p.m. on caucus night to physically stand in corners of the room to be counted on a first and second alignment. But that process is all gone now.

In an effort to simplify their process and make it more inclusive, Iowa Democrats have moved to an entirely mail-in system of casting their presidential preferences. Starting Nov. 1, Iowa Democrats could request an absentee presidential preference card, which functions like a ballot, that they can fill out and return to the state party until March 5, when results will be announced.

More:Where do I caucus? Iowa Democrats release 2024 sites for party business on caucus night

The party will still hold in-person caucuses on Jan. 15, but only to conduct other party business unrelated to picking a presidential nominee. 

Katie Akin is a politics reporter for the Register. Reach her atkakin@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at@katie_akin.