"" Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during an event in Fort Dodge, Iowa, two before the Iowa caucus. Al Drago/Getty Images Every four years, television news crews from New York to Los Angeles set up camp in the frigid cornfields of rural Iowa. The Iowa Caucuses, held in early February, represent the first chance for regular Americans from both major political parties to show support for a presidential candidate. The national press covers every minute of pre-caucus excitement as presidential hopefuls spread out across all 99 Iowa counties to shake hands at local diners and give stump speeches in elementary school gyms. As the earliest event of the primary election season — you know, the free-for-all that determines the nominees in each party — Iowa serves as a bellwether of national sentiment, helping to launch or sink candidacies and separate the wheat from the chaff — or in Iowa's case, the corn from the husk. But … [Read more...] about What’s the Difference Between a Caucus and a Primary?
Us presidential elections
Homeless Americans Can Vote, But It Isn’t Easy
"" Literature is passed out during a voter registration drive sponsored by The Partnership for the Homeless, Sept. 29, 2004, in New York City. The group had registered 2,000 homeless people and planned to register more before the November election. Spencer Platt/Getty Images If voting is the cornerstone of American democracy, then why does it have to be such a pain? Election Day in the U.S. is always a Tuesday, smack in the middle of the work week. If you move to a new state or county, you need to re-register. State voter ID requirements change all the time, so you could show up to a polling station, wait in line and still get blocked from voting. Now imagine that you're homeless in America. You move so frequently that it's nearly impossible to maintain a stable mailing address. You've never had a driver's license and your Social Security card was lost years ago. You can't afford transportation to the county elections office or your local polling place. And frankly, you have … [Read more...] about Homeless Americans Can Vote, But It Isn’t Easy