United States Congressional Representation
Each Iowa citizen is represented at the federal level by two senators and one representative who serve respectively in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. Representatives serve two-year terms and senators serve six-year terms. Together, these representatives comprise the Iowa delegation to the U.S. Congress. Each state’s number of house representatives is determined by population. As of 2023, Iowa has four members in Congress who each represent an Iowa congressional district. The senators represent all the citizens in the state.
Iowa Caucuses
Every four years, the presidential election season has traditionally kicked off in Iowa during January with the “first in the nation” Iowa Presidential Caucuses. Unlike primaries, where voters go individually to polling sites to vote for their preferred candidates, caucuses are party meetings where citizens gather to discuss and then vote upon their respective party platforms and candidates. As party meetings, caucuses occur not only in presidential years, but also in “off-years” to guide and shape party activity. Due in part to counting difficulties during the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses, 2024 will mark a format change for the Democratic party. Beginning in 2024, Iowa Democrats will still meet in person to discuss party business, but utilize an absentee system to gather presidential preferences — the results of which will be released later in the presidential election cycle.