Democrats and Republicans can attend mid-term caucuses at various sites around Jasper County on Monday. The meetings allow local candidates to meet with their political party’s local voters. There is also discussion on issues and ideas key to the party, and the selection of representatives for the upcoming county conventions. There are two caucus sites for Democrats and six for Republicans. The site a person attends is decided by what precinct they live in. Democrats will gather at the Newton School District’s EJH Beard Administration Center and the Jasper County Fairgrounds. The Republican Caucus sites are Berg Middle School in Newton, Colfax Elementary School, Lynnville-Sully High School in Sully, the Masonic Lodge in Prairie City, Gateway Church in Monroe, and Amboy Grange in Kellogg.  The list of the Democratic caucus sites can be found here, while the Republican caucus sites for each precinct are listed here. 

Bryan Friedman, Chair of the Jasper County Democratic Party, says the gatherings Monday night are an opportunity to connect with other Democrats, share ideas, and identify people to advance the party’s agenda. Jasper County Republican Party Chair Jim Farland believes it’s important to attend a caucus to find out who the candidates are, and learn more about them. It’s also a chance to advance one of his goals, which is to get more people involved in politics, especially younger residents.