Tolbert Offers Alternative to Iowa Caucus in Vox Article

Caroline Tolbert, distinguished research fellow in the Politics and Policy Research Program, and professor in the UI Department of Political Science, spoke with Sean Illing of Vox about her book, Why Iowa? How Caucuses and Sequential Elections Improve the Presidential Nominating Process, which suggests an alternative to the current caucus and primary election system.

Tolbert and co-authors David Redlawsk (visiting professor, UI College of Law, James R. Soles Professor of Political Science at University of Delaware) and Todd Donovan (professor of Political Science, Western Washington University) suggest a combination of retail politics in small states followed by a national primary. Their idea proposes a window of time in which any state that wants to can hold a primary or caucus. The smaller primaries function somewhat as a national straw poll to indicate which candidates are viable, with the national primary to follow. The goal is to ensure that no one state always goes first.

To read the full article in Vox, click here.