Reporter's note: Iowa primary election wind and snow voting night

China News Service, Des Moines, January 1 (Xinhua) -- The Iowa primary election was a snowy voting night

China News Service reporter Chen Mengtong

"There was no national flag at the scene, so I searched for a random photo, and everyone swore an oath to the national flag in my mobile phone. Craig Bergman, an Iowa Republican voter, shouted at the top of his voice. The noisy scene then fell silent.

At 15 p.m. local time on the 7th, the prelude to the 2024 U.S. presidential election kicked off in the snow and wind in Iowa. This agricultural state in the Midwest of the United States still retains the "grassroots" caucus format of the American electoral system, voting for presidential candidates from both parties.

Three days ago, a persistent snowstorm caused Iowa to experience extreme cold. According to historical data from the National Weather Service, the night of the 15th was the coldest caucus polling night in Iowa since 1972. At around 7 p.m., the outside temperature in Des Moines dropped to minus 20 degrees Celsius and gusts of wind blew.

On January 1, local time, the Iowa primary election for the 15 U.S. general election was held. Pictured is a street view of downtown Des Moines. Photo by China News Service reporter Chen Mengtong

Bergman has been involved in caucuses since the 20s of the 80th century, once a Democrat and later a Republican. His Des Moines District 58 held a Republican caucus in a high school theater that day, sharing the venue with Districts 61 and 57. The cafeteria of the same high school became the venue of the Democratic Party.

There was no conference set-up or decoration on site. If it weren't for the fact that voters wore hats with the names of the candidates written on them, it would be difficult for people to associate the activities here with voting in elections. The theater stage became a "desk" with blank ballots, voter registration forms, and other documents scattered on it.

Bergman looked at his watch, and it was already 13 minutes behind the allotted meeting time. He stood on the stage and shouted to the audience, "Let's make a quick decision, vote in the presidential primaries first, and then discuss other party affairs." However, you can go and watch a game or something after you vote. ”

On January 1, local time, the Iowa primary election for the 15 U.S. general election was held. The picture shows the scene of the Republican caucus meeting. Photo by China News Service reporter Chen Mengtong

The three constituencies are divided into left, center and right areas, with a total of nearly 90 people. More than <>% of the ethnic structure is white, and most of them are middle-aged and elderly.

After the chairman and secretary of the caucus meeting were determined by oral voting, the meeting entered the process of speaking and seeking votes. On the stage, three microphones are placed in the corresponding constituency. A campaign "captain" stepped forward to use the microphone, but found no sound. "The microphone can't be connected, so let's shout. At this point, Bergman, who had been elected chairman of the caucus in District 58, shouted.

As the three party groups spoke at the same time, the scene fell into chaos again under the mutual interference of each other. Bergman suggested that it would be better for everyone to take turns speaking according to the candidates they support, and to canvass for the candidates in the form of a joint caucus meeting. This option then received majority support.

The Republican race in the Iowa primary is between former President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Nikki Haley. The canvassing method of the three camps is much the same: the "captain" of the campaign is responsible for reading a prepared text about the candidate's achievements, and ordinary voters make impromptu speeches to express their support for the candidate with their personal experiences or feelings.

After the speech, it is time to vote. Each voter present has a blank slip of paper, and it is necessary to handwrite the candidate they support, and it is valid without writing the full name.

"Who needs a pen? Bergman quipped. Then the ballots were collected, in plastic basins in District 61 and in transparent bags in District 57, and Bergman's District 58 was simply collected by hand.

On January 1, local time, the Iowa primary election for the 15 U.S. general election was held. The picture shows the Republican Des Moines District 2024 caucus meeting counting the votes. Photo by China News Service reporter Chen Mengtong

Under the watchful eye of two volunteer scrutineers, the chairman of the caucus meeting was responsible for the counting of votes, and the secretary was responsible for counting the votes. Districts 61 and 57 both received the most votes from Trump, while District 58 was Haley's winner. By midnight that day, Trump had easily won the state's Republican primary with 51.1 percent of the vote. DeSantis and Haley came in second and third place with 21.2 percent and 19.1 percent of the vote, respectively.

Regarding the election on the day, Bergman told the China News Service, "This result is as I expected, I know my neighbors, I have known them for almost 40 years." When the need arises, they will stand up and vote for Republicans. ”

The results were read out, and the crowd dispersed. Facing the empty theater, Bergman muttered to himself, "Okay, now it's time to move on to the party's affairs." ”

From the beginning of the meeting to the completion of voting, a local grassroots election of the Republican Party in the United States took less than one hour. (ENDS)