Were Iowa caucus locations switched in the days before the caucuses, particularly in places where Bernie Sanders was polling well? No, that's not true: Fewer than 10 of the 1,678 caucus precinct locations were changed in the last week before the February 3, 2020, caucuses and mostly because larger venues were needed due to anticipated high turnout, according to the Iowa Democratic Party. "It is something that happens every year," the IDP spokeswoman told Lead Stories. Iowa voters can find their caucus location at IWillVote.com.
The claim that Sanders was being slighted by the party originated from a post (archived here) published on Instagram on February 2, 2020. The post was a screenshot of a Twitter thread that opened:
IMPORTANT: I just got off the phone with a Bernie volunteer who said that caucus locations are being switched in Iowa, and particularly in places where Bernie is polling well. Make sure to communicate with other Bernie voters in your area about location updates. #Bernie2020 #Iowa
This is what social media users saw:
The Instagram post was a composite of a Twitter thread that implied the Democratic Party in Iowa was rigging the caucus system against Sanders, who is not a registered Democrat.
IMPORTANT: I just got off the phone with a Bernie volunteer who said that caucus locations are being switched in Iowa, and particularly in places where Bernie is polling well. Make sure to communicate with other Bernie voters in your area about location updates. #Bernie2020 #Iowa
-- Aaron Stigile (@AaronStigile) February 1, 2020
Aaron Stigile told Lead Stories that the only source of his claim was "one volunteer" who tweeted:
I made one call to one volunteer in Iowa on the ground who originally told me the context of the original tweet.
I'm volunteering at the Des Moines offfice in Iowa and this is true.
-- Michael Sayman (@michaelsayman) February 2, 2020
We are telling ALL Iowa caucus goers to PLEASE CHECK https://t.co/1bJSBNkdP2 on Monday before going to caucus as they can change the location of any caucus at any time up until Monday.
Earlier social media posts also raised concerns that Sanders supporters might be targeted by Democratic Party officials who changed caucus sites:
Notice for those caucusing for Bernie in Iowa:
Caucus locations for some precincts changed twice over the weekend, and the party can change them at any time, even on caucus night!
Notice for those caucusing for Bernie in Iowa:
-- Simon Narode 🌹 (@SimonNarode) January 27, 2020
Caucus locations for some precincts changed twice over the weekend, and the party can change them at any time, even on caucus night!
Check https://t.co/BYvvQOl9dI for your most up-to-date location, and get there early just in case!
A Democratic Party official tweeted assurances that the location changes were not a big deal:
Since Friday, there have been fewer than 10 changes out of 1,678 caucus locations, almost always for capacity reasons. All campaigns are informed of caucus location changes and all caucus-goers can check their locations at: https://t.co/SzY5mUwVo6
-- Kevin Geiken (@kevinofIA) February 2, 2020
Iowa Democratic Party communications director Mandy McClure sent Lead Stories a separate statement denying the changes were related to Sanders' campaign.
It is not uncommon for precinct locations to change before caucus night. It is something that happens every year. Since Friday, there have been fewer than 10 changes out of 1,678 caucus locations, almost always for capacity reasons. The location changes are completely unrelated to any individual campaign. All campaigns are informed of caucus location changes and all caucus-goers can check their locations at: iwillvote.com
A spokesman from the Democratic party provided us following list of 14 changed IA Caucus locations as of 2/3/2020 3:08PM CST:
| County | Precinct Code | SOS Precinct Name | Location Name | Address |
| Appanoose | PS | Pleasant/Franklin | Cincinnati Community Center | 101 Alpine St. |
| Appanoose | UD | Union / Udell Township | Shoop Home |
13792 286th Ave.
|
| Montgomery | 1 | Montgomery Precinct 1 | Red Oak High School, Commons | 2011 N 8th St |
| Montgomery | 2 | Montgomery Precinct 2 | Red Oak High School, Auditorium | 2011 N 8th St |
| Montgomery | 3 | Montgomery Precinct 3 | Red Oak High School, Gym | 2011 N 8th St |
| Warren | LB | LIBERTY TWP | Liberty Center United Methodist Church |
16005 Church Dr
|
| Wright | EG4 | Eagle Grove #4 | Eagle Grove Middle School, Auditorium | 1015 NW 2nd St |
| Warren | LB |
SE Warren High School
|
16221 Tyler St | |
| Kossuth | BT |
BURT ACTIVITY COMPLEX, GYM A
|
400 1ST ST | |
| Kossuth | GW |
BURT ACTIVITY COMPLEX, GYM B
|
400 1ST ST | |
| Woodbury | Sioux City 13 |
First Presbyterian Church
|
608 Nebraska St | |
| Montgomery | Precinct 1 |
RED OAK HIGH SCHOOL, AUDITORIUM
|
||
| Montgomery | Precinct 2 |
RED OAK HIGH SCHOOL, COMMONS
|
||
| Montgomery | Precinct 3 |
RED OAK HIGH SCHOOL, FIELD HOUSE
|
Do let us know via [email protected] if your caucus location was changed but does not appear on this list.
Suspicions that the Democratic Party establishment was secretly rigging the caucus and primary system to deny Sen. Sanders a fair shot at the Democratic presidential nomination date back to the 2016 campaign and continue. We are not addressing the validity of those suspicions, but we are specifically debunking the idea that a handful of caucus site changes are part of the effort.
