How the 1984 Iowa Caucus Molded My Politics — and 40 Years Later Still Matters

Barely nineteen, I wedged myself into a packed Grinnell College van in the late afternoon of October 9, 1983, headed to the annual Jefferson Jackson Dinner in Des Moines. Hosted by the Iowa Democratic Party, the dinner was an example of democracy in action.

Hundreds of diners sawed on rubber chicken while seven democratic contenders delivered their elevator pitch: Rubin Askew, Alan Cranston, John Glenn, Gary Hart, Ernest “Fritz” Hollings, George McGovern and Walter Mondale all vied for my vote. (Jesse Jackson wouldn’t announce his presidential candidacy for a few more weeks.)

1984 would be my first presidential election. Mrs. Stephens, my high school civics teacher had daily declared: “It’s your civic duty to vote!” Instilled in us that if you don’t exercise your right to vote, you don’t have a right to complain.

I wanted to vote. And I wanted to meet the people courting my vote. The 1984 Iowa Caucus was mere months away. And I wanted to know which candidates deserved my vote.

Entering the van, I touched the College’s laurel leaf logo; a testimony to victory, honor, achievement. Growing up, politics was simply part of the daily conversation at home. No acrimony. Just various viewpoints presented with grace. My mother was a democrat. My father a republican. We regularly read headlines and talked about current events.

A decade earlier, I remember sitting in the bathtub, my mom bent over me, scrubbing a week’s worth of summer camp swamp scum out of my hair and pores. Our conversation transitioned from my heroic efforts to save a screeching camp counselor from a tent invasion of daddy-long-legs to mom’s announcement that “we have a new president.” In the week I’d been gone, Richard Nixon had resigned, and Gerald Ford had taken his place. No judgment. Just the facts.

Meeting the Candidates

In 1983, I considered myself fiscally conservative and socially liberal. I resonated with parts of various political positions from both parties and combined them to form my own personal politics. (In a 1980 high school presidential straw poll, I’d voted for John Anderson.)

I liked the slogan Carol Hanisch championed, “the personal is political.” But I also believed (and still do) that “politics is personal.” Who someone votes for is their business. And it was my business to vote for the person I most respected, regardless of political party. I pride myself on having never cast a vote for anyone I didn’t truly believe in.

That Fall evening in Des Moines, special-interest politics were beginning to catch fire. Several candidates warned against the trend and how seeming “inclusive” was leading to “exclusion.”

After hearing the speeches, I came away with my trifecta picks. My support that evening was firmly behind Alan Cranston who stated that “If we are to win in 1984, we will need to come up with something better. It isn’t enough to offer the traditional menu of interest-group politics.” Gary Hart caught my attention when he stated that “we had better forget the tactics of politics and instead address the substance of politics.” John Glenn’s question of “will we offer a party that can’t say no to anyone with a letterhead and mailing list?” got a chuckle from the future me who would join the world of direct mail marketing. The other speakers were less than memorable.

The Iowa Diversity Issue

Pundits like to fill the airways with divisive talk about the lack of “diversity” among Iowa voters. If you’re focused on racial makeup, then yes, 83% of Iowans are considered “white/non-Hispanic” and the remaining 17% are from diverse racial groups. Which certainly makes it tempting to dismiss Iowa’s importance as a state that represents the diverse beliefs and concerns of Americans.

When it comes to political diversity, however, the state offers the most diverse voter pool imaginable. In 1984, Iowa had NO majority political party. And guess what? Forty years on, there is STILL NO majority political party in Iowa.

The 1.6 million registered voters of 1984 consisted of 550,000 Democrats, 540,000 Independents and 510,000 Republicans. The 2.2 million registered voters in 2024 consist of 760,000 Republicans, 740,000 Independents and 700,000 Democrats.

Regardless of race, color, religion, sex and national origin, Iowa voters encompass all of us.

The Importance of the Caucus Experience

The word caucus is thought to have Algonquin origins and referred to gatherings of ruling tribal chiefs. The first Iowa caucus occurred in 1839, prior to statehood. Iowans considered the process to be a form of grassroots democracy-in-action. If you want to be counted, vote.

Today’s caucus is getting a bad rap from some. Given the freezing temperatures expected tonight, many question the wisdom and accessibility of the caucus event. Especially since a caucus can go on for hours. But when you’re committed to casting your vote, to having your voice be heard, the weather and late hours don’t deter. And there is no better way to experience the power of your vote.

Today, exactly twelve years ago, a seven-day voting window ended for Southern Sudan to have self-determination. As part of the global referendum vote, eight voting locations were set up across America.

One location was Omaha, Nebraska, where displaced Sudanese showed up in record numbers to vote for the creation of the Republic of South Sudan. Lines were so long, some waited 12 hours outside in a blizzard before reaching the ballot box. One group of four embarked on a 190-mile trip from Sioux Falls, South Dakota but their trip was interrupted when their car flipped on the icy interstate. They spent two days in the hospital, with one undergoing four hours of eye surgery. And yet… they still made it to Omaha to vote, with a day to spare. Talk about being committed to having your vote count!

Back in 1984, the Iowa Caucus took place on a balmy (by Iowa standards) February evening. The caucus event is where local, state and national interests get discussed, party platforms get debated and established, and candidates get selected.

This was the night Iowa’s presidential delegates would be chosen, with a sacred duty (though not legally bound) to represent candidates elected by their precinct’s voters. Real people, in a real room, voicing their vote on a paper chit, with a show of hands, or through movement around a room.

If any candidate immediately garners support of 50% or more of those present, that candidate is declared the winner of the precinct’s caucus. To stay viable, a candidate must receive preference of at least 15%.

My caucus experience was a bit like musical chairs. On the signal to caucus, people moved around the room, joining the designated area for their candidate of choice. Group numbers were tallied, and candidates were deemed viable or non-viable depending on their percentages.

Without a clear winner on the first go-round, those of us with outlier candidates were given thirty minutes to realign. We could join with one of the viable candidates, or unite with other smaller candidates to back a single candidate.

My original caucus was for Alan Cranston. When he failed to garner 15% of the votes in our precinct, I moved my vote to Gary Hart, whose final statewide tally wound up second behind Mondale. (Who would go on to be firmly trounced in the general election by incumbent President Ronald Reagan.)

What fascinated me most about the caucus process was the counting of votes, which happened at the front of the room. Each candidate had a representative watching the counting and reporting. Everything was recorded on paper, overseen by those present, tallied, photographed and shared with state party officials, also at the front of the room.

It’s the purest, most transparent process. One person, one vote.

What to Expect This Year

The whole caucus process in Iowa has been low-tech until recently. In 2020, Democrats used an app which experienced major glitches and resulted in a multi-day delay for final results. This year, Republicans will use technology to upload data from each individual precinct (1657 locations) into a cloud-based system, while retaining paper results so they can be cross-checked if discrepancies arise.

This year, the Democratic, Libertarian and Republican parties will caucus today. Only Libertarians and Republicans will caucus for a presidential candidate, in addition to other local and state offices, after attending to party business. Democrats will use their caucus for only non-presidential related business. Those wishing to vote for a Democratic presidential candidate will need to request a mail-in-only paper ballot.

And for the rest of Iowa voters who are independent or affiliated with a smaller political party? You can show up to caucus with one of the three larger parties, register on the spot as a member of that party, and make your voice heard by voting for the candidate that most aligns with you. And if nothing else comes of it, at least you’ll spend some time with folks in your community, and experience the satisfaction of exercising your right to vote.