The 2020 Democratic Iowa Caucuses were, mildly put, a disaster. Confusion over convoluted procedure ran rampant, and the failure of a rushed and untested app only made things worse. Then there was the haphazard release of results, which dragged itself out over several days after the caucuses occurred. This perfect storm of problems has seemingly forever damaged the credibility of the process. However, while these issues may have been unique to this year, many other problems plaguing the caucus are not.

An Affront to Democracy

Caucuses are inherently undemocratic. They are time-consuming and have an excessively complicated process, making them inaccessible to many, especially those with disabilities. Despite an attempt to make the system more democratic with “satellite caucuses” held for those out of state or otherwise unable to attend the regular caucuses, the undemocratic and confusing nature of the process still remains.

The delegate apportionment process means that it is possible to lose the “popular vote” but still win overall. Furthermore, the state is highly unrepresentative of the population of the United States and the Democratic Party. In 2016 (which can be assumed to be informative of this year) a whopping 90% of caucuses were white, which is an indefensibly high number for how much influence Iowa has over the primaries. It is time to kill the caucus system, and not just in Iowa. This archaic method of selecting a president should be thrown out across the board.

Hints of a Better Way

Still, there is one aspect of the Iowa caucus that should not only be left alone but should be expanded and incorporated into the primary process in every state. At precincts across Iowa, voters who found their candidate with less than 15 percent of the vote could move over to viable candidates. This in effect is a wacko version of Ranked Choice Voting (RCV).

While all states should move to primaries, the primaries should implement a common-sense version of this single redeeming aspect of the caucuses. This would help the Party achieve two goals: make primaries as democratic and proportional as possible, and keep the process as quick and painless as possible.

The 15 percent threshold helps winnow the field by keeping candidates with low support from sticking it out and depriving stronger candidates of a majority. However, the voters who back these candidates should still have their vote count. With RCV their votes could be transferred to their next favorite candidate, allowing them to still have a say in the process.

Signs of Progress

All states should immediately enact a system similar to this. Thankfully, some this cycle will. Alaska, Hawaii, Kansas, and Wyoming will hold their presidential primaries using a similar method. In general, this is how the process will work for voters in these states:

Rank your favorite candidates in order. First preferences are tallied. Votes for candidates under 15 percent are redistributed. The process continues until all remaining candidates have at least 15 percent.

Here is a helpful infographic about RCV in Kansas.

Democrats must replace caucuses and the standard primary vote with a ranked-choice primary system. The disaster of the Iowa caucuses only highlighted the need for a major overhaul of the methods used to pick our President. So much of the process, from the primaries to the general election, is in need of real change.

Walking the Walk

While there are many other fixes that should be made to vastly improve the primary process (having a state go first that is far less white than Iowa springs to mind), this is one that would be relatively easy to do (some states are already doing it!) and could jumpstart a much-needed broader movement for electoral reform.

The Democratic Party should live up to its name and ideals by taking the initiative in improving how we choose the most powerful position in the country. It’s the right thing to do.