Iowa must overhaul its primary system

Iowa should not be the first state to hold the Democratic primaries, nor should we keep the caucus system in place.

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Evan Weidl Opinions Columnist

Since 1972, Iowa has been the first state in the nation to hold a Democratic caucus for the presidential election. Unfortunately, Iowa has never been the most ideal state to host it, and the Democratic National Committee recognized that.

Despite an effort from Iowa legislators to keep Iowa as the first state to

POINT/COUNTERPOINT hold primaries, the DNC voted on Saturday to make South Carolina the first state to hold primaries. The state that should go first should be one that is diverse on all fronts to reflect the diversity of the Democratic Party.

Iowa was ranked as the 46th on a list of the most diverse states. Iowa’s population is 84 percent white compared to just 4 percent Black. Additionally, Iowa ranks 36th in Hispanic and Latino population. Iowa is also dominated by rural areas, and any state that deserves to go first should represent the populations of many different types of areas. Iowa’s largest city isn’t even in the top

100 most populous cities in America.

This is not to say that the voices and votes of farmers and rural voters do not matter, but the perspectives and preferences of many different groups of people should be considered.

One problem with Iowa going first is not just our lack of diversity, but also our outdated caucus system. To have voters physically stand in a designated part of a room to demonstrate their support is an unreliable system that makes no sense to maintain in 2023 and beyond.

Because the caucus requires everyone to vote at a specific time, it excludes