This Year’s Iowa Caucus Is On Track For Lowest Turnout Since 2000
A New York Times analysis of the results released so far estimated that the final turnout will be around 110,000 voters. As of 11:30 pm Eastern time, about 105,000 votes had been recorded. That would be significantly below the 187,000 Republicans who voted in 2016, which was a record turnout. About 122,000 voted in 2012, 118,000 in 2008 and about 87,000 in 2000.
The Trump train is losing major steam. Only 18% of the GOP turned out to vote yesterday. Trump only got half of that GOP vote lol.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/15/us/politics/iowa-caucus-turnout-cold.html#:~:text=A%20New%20York%20Times%20analysis,which%20was%20a%20record%20turnout.Open linkView original on lemmy.world
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No complacency on our side. When fascism is marching, it needs to be drowned in a tidal wave of mythical proportions, so they see just how outnumbered they are, how violence won't work for them. Fear is their tool, it's what they understand. So, no mercy.
The weather was horrible. No one should be attributing this to anything else right now.
I mean, if you live in Iowa, cold weather this time of year is the norm. I think all the 'ooh nobody showed because of dreaded coldness's', is pretty much an excuse. Even republicans are tired of this shit show, and that's why they didn't bother to drive across town to caucus. They'd drive across the state for a decent TacoPizza (tm). smh
There's cold and then there's cold. 20°F/-6°c is uncomfortable and requires proper attire. -5°F/-15°C is seriously dangerous to go out in regardless of what you're wearing.
I would say that’s still a manageable temp to go vote in, if you’re spending little time out of doors, rather going house-to-car-to-building. Any significant requirement of time spent outside, particularly idling in line; changes that.
That answer is also changed depending on the state of the ground/roads. Is there a significant amount of ice about? In neighbouring Wisconsin there is.
Also, a lot of voters, particularly conservative ones, are older, and the perils of the ice and deep cold are greater for them, and likely considered as such.
So… yeah. I can see weather dampening turnout at this quite a bit.
About 23.5" of snow has fallen between now and the previous weekend. Travel is returning to winter normal, but is definitely still difficult. Last time I participated (previous election) the line for the sign-in/registration table went outside and I had to wait ~5 min. to get inside.
Now I'm imagining some kind of Green Boots scenario where voters slowly file past one of their own who couldn't handle the cold, and whose body it is too dangerous to retrieve.
That's funny
I'd say that line starts at -25 / -30°C not -15. Unless you literally don't have any proper winter clothes.
It's cold as hell and basically everyone expected Trump to win in a landslide. So not exactly surprising that people didn't prioritize showing up for caucuses. They're not a small commitment.
Imagine driving in a blizzard to caucus for Vivek Ramaswamy or Ron Desantis.
I still remember his Tulsa rally, in one of the reddest states in the US. He got tricked into thinking there would be a million people present. And he bragged on it. But only 6,000 people showed up.
Isn't that the one where Herman cain showed up and died "totally not from covid" a few weeks later?
I think that's right.
Same here. It was tragically hilarious.
I said this yesterday and got downvoted, but I'll say it again- if you aren't crazy, why are you going to go in sub-zero weather to sit in a room and vote for DeSantis in a non-anonymous vote?
Good, honestly. Caucuses are great on paper but awful in practice.