At least two precincts in Iowa have made last-minute location changes as historically low temperatures affect the Hawkeye State, adjusting election plans as voters prepare to cast the first ballots of the 2024 cycle.
State Republican officials have maintained that most Iowa precinct locations will operate as expected on Monday, but a pair of Iowa counties have relocated, with one relocation being due to the inclement weather. The change comes as several GOP campaigns have worried the low temperatures could negatively affect voter turnout.
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Voters in Woodbury County will relocate from Hornick City Hall to instead attend their caucus at an American Legion hall after the original location lost its heating capabilities, according to the Washington Post. The Allamakee County GOP has also moved one of its locations in Precinct 3 to accommodate more parking space, according to the outlet.
The eleventh-hour changes come as Republican candidates have openly worried about whether the low temperatures and snowy conditions would deter voters from venturing to their local precinct locations, possibly shifting the caucus results.
As a result, candidates and their supporters have ratcheted up their messaging to convince voters to turn up for their scheduled caucuses, attempting to energize their base for the first-in-the-nation nominating convention.
“The only way we are hurt … is if you stay home,” former President Donald Trump told supporters last week.
The night is on track to be the coldest Iowa caucus in history as it’s not expected to rise above negative 2 degrees for the night, with the windchill as low as 35 degrees below zero. The National Weather Service issued a wind chill warning in effect until noon on Tuesday for the “life threatening wind chills,” which could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes, according to the weather service.
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However, Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said he expects “robust turnout” on Monday despite the cold weather.
“As long as there’s not ice that actually makes it impossible to travel and as long as we don’t have whiteout conditions, snow actually falling — I think temperatures are the least of my concern in terms of depressing turnout,” he said at an event hosted by Bloomberg Television. “Iowans know how to dress for that.”
