DES MOINES, Iowa — For a small handful of Iowans, simply participating in Monday’s caucuses was a momentous feat in itself.
For the first time this year, people with disabilities could take advantage of 87 new satellite caucus locations set up by the Iowa Democratic Party, aimed at making the complicated process of caucusing, which can involve standing to move across a room or up and down bleachers and stairs, that much easier. All of the locations offered the chance to participate outside of normal hours. And some provided language assistance and accessibility features like an elevator and gender neutral restrooms that might otherwise have been unavailable for those with disabilities.
For the people who were able to participate, the satellite locations offered a rare bright spot in the otherwise chaotic Monday caucuses. Thanks to technological glitches and widespread confusion about the voting process, the Iowa Democratic Party still had yet to announce any of its results by midday Tuesday.
