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How the Iowa caucuses work

As Democratic nominees are finishing up in Iowa, how exactly do the caucuses differ from the regular voting process, and why are they so important?

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa caucuses are nothing like the way we vote in Arizona. 

There are no mail-in ballots. No all-day voting. 

In fact, it’s not a direct vote. 

It’s a bunch of people gathering in a room and telling each other which candidate they support. 

Then it becomes a game of Red Rover, with complicated rules. 

And one more difference: Presidential candidates ask you to pledge to show up to a caucus. But not everyone can. 

Since 1972, only three winners of the Iowa caucuses have gone on to take the White House: Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. 

So why does Iowa matter? 

“The caucuses can give the rest of the country an indication of who it is that knowledgeable and interested party activists think should be the party’s choice for the nomination,” said Drake University Professor Dennis Goldford, an expert on the Iowa caucuses. “What the rest of the country does with that information is up to the rest of the country.” 

RELATED: How well do the Iowa caucuses predict the presidential race?

RELATED: Iowa caucuses: What are delegates and how are they awarded?

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