(Radio Iowa) – With 91 percent of the votes, Joe Biden has won the Iowa Democratic Party mail-in system that’s replaced the delegate math that determined which presidential candidate won Iowa Caucuses of the past. Iowa Democratic Party chairwoman Rita Hart says the new system addresses complaints that the Caucuses were not very democratic, since you had to be present on Caucus Night to participate.

“An in-person Caucus was not very inclusive and now we have a two-part process where we have the in-person (meetings) and then we have the mail-in,” Hart says, “and, as a result, we’ve gotten so much more accessibility.” Over 12-thousand Iowa Democrats returned what the party called “presidential preference cards.” Nearly four percent indicated they were uncommitted to a presidential candidate at this point in the race. Dean Phillips, a Minnesota congressman, finished a distant third with under three percent, followed by author Marianne Williamson. Hart says Iowa Democrats will discuss whether this is the way they’ll conduct the 2028 Iowa Caucuses.

Iowa Democratic Party chairwoman Rita Hart

“We’re going to be in a different situation in 2028. It’ll be a much more competitive environment. We’ll have more people involved in the process as far as candidates are concerned, which makes a big difference, I think,” Hart says. Hart says there are all sorts of ideas to consider. “Should we have a system where we mail out ‘presidential preference card’ requests to every Democrat in the state so that there’s even more accessibility? Should we have drop off boxes so it makes it easier for people to participate, especially those who are procrastinators or those who don’t trust the Postal Service?” Hart asks.

Iowa Republicans held their party’s first voting contest of the 2024 presidential campaign with their Caucuses on January 15th. National Democrats kicked the Iowa Democratic Party’s Caucuses out of the lead-off position after the 2020 Caucus results were delayed and critics — including President Biden — said the party needed to start the 2024 campaign in states where voters of color had a voice in choosing the nominee.