MASON CITY, Iowa - The first real test of the 2020 election is the Iowa Democratic caucus, where voters will decide who they want to represent the party on the ballot.

The big day is February 3rd, but early voting starts next month. This year, the caucus is going global.

The Iowa Democratic Party is trying to make it easier for residents to participate in the caucuses - even if they are not in the state on February third.

Sites have been chosen in states like California and Arizona and even overseas in Scotland, France, and the Republic of Georgia.

JoAnn Hardy is the county chairperson for the Cerro Gordo County Democrats, she says the idea came when the DNC said no to caucusing by phone.

“When they cancelled that, there were people who had already made vacation plans because they knew they could phone it in. So I’m really glad they came up with this. People who are in distant locations, if they gather a group of Iowans, can caucus together.”

Some of the satellite caucusing locations are located in Iowa, but are being held in nursing homes and hospitals for folks who can't make it to a caucus precinct.