Mason City, IA- Iowa's caucuses are on the move for the second time in a row. But this time party leaders aren't worried about Iowa’s first in the nation status, they're hoping for more participation.
In January of 2008 we watched as a record number of people packed into both Democrat and Republican Caucus precincts state wide.
People on both sides of the political spectrum say mid-term caucuses don't attract many people. So moving the political get-together to Saturday afternoon may draw more participation.
The Caucuses are a major source of pride for Iowans.
"The Iowa caucuses it's the first step to a presidential nomination and so we're the first state in the country to have a say so in which candidates are going to succeed on the republican or democrat side," Former Republican State Lawmaker Gary Blodgett.
As much as people like to get involved in the political process, the mid-term caucuses don't see a big turnout.
"But I do think that the presidential tends to get more excitement and people want to come and stand up for the person that they truly believe in," said Democratic State Senator Amanda Ragan.
That's why republican and democratic state party leaders are agreeing to move the caucus to a Saturday, a first for the Hawkeye state.
"This is a really a place where people can get involved in issues and become part of the political process so we're excited when we make it more accessible to anybody," Ragan said.
She says having a smaller crowd will provide a good testing ground for holding the event on a weekend.
"It's good when it's on a smaller scale and we start anything on a smaller scale it's gonna be much easier to administrate."
Blodgett says it should have been moved years ago.
"In January in Iowa that's a pretty tough time to be out on a Monday night, I'd rather be out on a Saturday afternoon than a Monday night, I think it will increase the participation."
Both sides agree, increasing the participation will also help Iowa hold onto its first in the nation status.
The date of the 2010 caucuses is set for the 23rd of January. Next year's election features gubernatorial elections in both Iowa and Minnesota, as well as several congressional seats.
