Over 100 local voters braved treacherous roads to make their voices heard in the 2018 Iowa Midterm Caucuses Monday night.

Nearly 50 Democrats at Knoxville High School and over 50 Republicans total in both Knoxville and Pella worked to set party platforms and began to prepare for the upcoming primaries and election in November.

T. Waldmann Williams, Chair of the Marion County Republicans, tells KNIA/KRLS News the midterm election is important for a number of reasons, including the inability to check one box to vote straight ticket for either party, which means candidates need to stand out more on an individual basis.

“One of the things that’s different for us is that we no longer have a straight party ticket ability to vote, and it’s really incumbent that everybody look through their vote and go through that they have checked every person’s name that they want,” she says. “They just can’t hit Republican or Democrat anymore — it really means every vote counts.”

Megan Suhr, Chair of the Marion County Democrats, tells KNIA/KRLS News they were able to recruit members and start to work towards a vision for upcoming elections.

“Tonight’s business was to ask for new volunteers to be on our central committee, so we saw several new faces that volunteered to meet with us monthly as a central committee, and they will lead the direction of our party for the next two years,” Suhr says.

The caucus allows both parties to start setting a platform, which will next be discussed at county committee meetings in March.