Latinos in Iowa prepare to partake in ‘el caucus’
But activists decry lack of interpreters for emerging bloc
DES MOINES, Iowa — There is no Spanish translation for a caucus, that political process particular to just a few states. It is simply “el caucus.”
But for many Latinos in Iowa, el caucus is hardly simple. The state’s Latino population has surged in recent decades, with the number registered to vote estimated at more than 50,000, making it a potentially important bloc in the fast-approaching Democratic caucuses. And local leaders like Vanessa Marcano-Kelly believe there are not nearly enough Spanishtailored caucus sites or interpreters to meet the need in the state.
“I feel like this year everyone has been talking about how Iowa is superwhite, but it’s really not superwhite to me,” said Marcano-Kelly, who petitioned the state Democratic Party to create caucus sites in Spanish. “I see Latinos everywhere.”
It is the first Iowa caucus for Marcano-Kelly, 34. In 2016, she watched from the sidelines, slightly bewildered at the spectacle and wondering how people could possibly understand if they did not speak English. As she wrote in her application months ago to the state Democratic Party, the Spanish sites would “ensure that the voices of all people can really be heard.”
So on Feb. 3, the doors will open at the South Suburban YMCA in Des Moines for hundreds of Spanish-speaking caucusgoers.
Marcano-Kelly has been refreshing her Spanish vocabulary as she searches for the right words — some easier (viable is “viable”), some more obscure (threshold is “límite”).
Although Latinos make up just 6% of Iowa’s population, they have more than doubled in the state in the last two decades.
In nearly a dozen towns throughout the state, Latinos now make up more than one-third of the population. And since 2016, the League of United Latin American Citizens has worked to get thousands more registered to vote, a number the group estimates has now grown to 53,000.
Roughly 194,000 Latinos live in the state, and by most estimates, fewer than 3,000 participated in the 2016 caucuses. This year, Latino activists expect that number to grow to 20,000 or more. And for the first time, there are set to be six Spanish satellite caucus sites, a concession Democratic Party officials made to try to increase participation.
But despite the efforts, many activists believe there are not nearly enough interpreters lined up for the caucuses. Party officials are still scrambling to find bilingual speakers to run the Spanish caucuses, even as they look for more Spanish speakers to volunteer at other sites throughout the state.
And while some campaigns plan to send Spanish-speaking volunteers to towns where Latinos make up more than one-third of the population, there is no clear system to ensure that Spanish-speaking caucusgoers will have interpretation services.
“Whatever the number is, I think it would be impossible to have enough to meet the need,” said Rob Barron, a Polk County school board member who runs a group dedicated to electing more Latinos to office. “Even if you’re a native English speaker, the process is intimidating. So for those who are willing to walk into that room without speaking the language, then hear words like viable, it’s only going to get more and more chaotic and confusing.”
When the Democratic Party put a call out for applications for satellite caucuses that could be held away from traditional geographic precincts, Marcano-Kelly knew that she would write one for Spanish. She thought of several of her friends who recently became citizens but do not speak English as well as many Puerto Ricans she knows who moved to Iowa after Hurricane Maria struck the island in 2017.
After submitting the satellite application, MarcanoKelly decided she would become the precinct captain for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign, in charge of rounding up supporters who come to the Spanish caucus. But in recent days she has found herself grappling with whether her primary responsibility lies with the campaign or individual voters.
Evidence of a booming Latino population can be seen in pockets all over the state, including Des Moines, where Latinos make up 12% of the city’s population and 26% of public school students. In recent years, Mexicans, Guatemalans and Salvadorans have settled here, many moving from California, Illinois and Texas.
Showing up to places where Latinos congregate has been a part of the strategy for some of the campaigns and the League of United Latin American Citizens, more commonly known as LULAC, which has led the effort to register more Latinos. The group has held voter registration drives at stores and sponsored several mock caucus trainings in the state.