Turnout high at Jasper County caucuses despite frigid temperatures, deep snow

Jack and Jean Ferguson were not going to miss the Republican caucus, and neither was the woman whose car they found stuck in the middle of the road. Like them, she was on her way to the Kellogg precinct, going against the national narrative that Iowans would not show up for caucus due to recent snowstorms.

“She had run into a big snowbank,” Jack said. “The maintainers had not been able to get through the road at that point, so they backed out and didn’t finish plowing the road. She come upon it too fast, couldn’t get stopped and had run into the snowbank. She couldn’t even open her door. She was buried!”

Thankfully, the driver had a cellphone and called someone to pick her up. The Fergusons helped the woman into their car and took her to a neighbor’s house until her ride arrived. Although her plans may have been changed after getting stuck, it showed people were still dedicated to participating in caucuses.

Weather most certainly had an effect on the turnout of the Republican caucuses in Jasper County, but not in the way political pundits were expecting. Many individuals did opt to stay home, but even so the attendance was exceedingly high at the Newton precinct in Berg Middle School on the night of Jan. 15.

Although you would not have noticed it driving past the school. The snow that was plowed into piles on the south side of the middle school parking lot was so high it was impossible to see the cars that had already begun to fill in the spaces an hour before the action started. But parking was the least of their worries.

For most, finding a place to sit was an effort in futility after 6:30 p.m. They would have to stand while listening to speakers give their final pitches for which of the seven candidates caucusgoers should vote for. Those who stood on the stairwell got a birds-eye view of the crowd. Some say it even surpassed 2016 caucus.

Bob Main, treasurer of the Jasper County Republican Party, is sure of it. Which is impressive because there were more candidates in 2016, and Ted Cruz ended up being the favorite over Donald Trump in Iowa. The weather may have been a deterrent for some this year, but Main suggested it was motivation for others.

“We’re just a rebellious enough group to do that,” Main said. “I didn’t have any worries about the weather. Yeah, it’s cold. But, hey, it gets cold in Iowa. We’ve been spoiled up until the last week or so. But the snowstorms this past week, it’s been a long time since we had storms like that.”

Despite the harsh negative-degree temperatures, seeing a large turnout tells Main that the party as a whole is alive and well. There is a lot of unity and enthusiasm in spite of the number of different candidates. Regardless of the results, Main is confident party members will fall in line with whoever is chosen as the nominee.

“I’m just proud to be part of the process,” he said. “It’s an important process, and too many people take it for granted. They don’t get out. Even come Election Day.”

Jim Farland, who spoke in favor of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, also stressed the importance of the process, keeping in tune with political issues and getting to know the candidates, a luxury Iowans have thanks the state’s first-in-the-nation status for GOP caucuses. To him, participation is key.

“I felt it was my duty as an American to partake,” he said. “You can’t sit back and complain about what’s going on if you don’t get involved.”