Parking lot in Iowa being cleared during this weekend’s snowstorm. (Ashley Byrd photo)
Statewide Iowa — Schools, churches, American Legion Posts — even a bank and an insurance agency are among the places where precinct meetings will be held for tonight’s (Monday’s) Iowa Caucuses.
Republicans in more than two dozen Iowa counties, however, have made plans to have all precincts in the county meet at one location.
Twenty-eight counties will have just one, so-called “super site” for Caucus Night, and O’Brien County is one of them.
Denny Werkmeister is O’Brien County GOP chairman and Republicans in his county will be meeting at the Harley-Melvin-Sanborn High School.
What is his guess on turnout? “That’s a good question,” Werkmeister said, with a laugh. “I think with the presidential race and some of the issues that are going on, I think the turn-out will be good.”
Also in our coverage area, in Osceola County, Republican voters from all precincts will use the Osceola County Courthouse for their “super site.”
Wapello County Republicans will be gathering at Ottumwa High School. Wapello County GOP chair Trudy Caviness.
Caviness says it could be difficult for some rural residents to make it to Ottumwa, but she says given the number of phone calls she’s fielding, the wind chill may not dampen turnout. “I’ve heard from a lot of people who have never Caucused before and they’re excited about it,” Caviness says. “They want to know the procedures and what happens and so I think we’re going to have pretty robust turnout.”
Plans for these “super sites” were made long ago — well before anyone knew what tonight’s (Monday’s) weather was going to be like. Most of the 28 counties that opted to have one meeting place for all precincts in the county reserved space at a school or community college, but Adams County Republicans will be meeting at the Opera House in Corning.
((Here’s the list of counties where all precincts will meet in one location in the county: Adams, Adair, Calhoun, Clay, Crawford, Davis, Delaware, Dickinson, Emmet, Floyd, Franklin, Humboldt, Ida, Lucas, Monona, Monroe, Montgomery, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Ringgold, Sac, Shelby, Wapello, Wayne, Webster, Worth, Wright.)
Meanwhile, while presidential preference will not be part of their meetings, a number of Democratic caucuses will also have one site per county. In our area, all four counties’ Democratic caucuses are like that. In O’Brien County, all Democrats will meet at the O’Brien County Courthouse in Primghar. All Osceola County Democrats will meet at the Sibley Senior Center. All Sioux County Democrats will meet in Rooms A & B of the Sioux Center Public Library. And in Lyon County, Democratic voters in all precincts will meet at the Rock Rapids Public Library.
