Non-Citizens Mobilize For Iowa Caucuses, Even Though They Can’t Vote

They’re making sure communities of color have a voice by organizing caucus trainings and setting up dedicated Spanish-language voting locations. On a Saturday night in January, several dozen men stepped out into the single-digit cold and ventured to East High School for a soccer tournament.

But before they began playing, campaign staffers for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) taught them how to participate in the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 3.

Luis Gomez, 31, is the Sanders die-hard who organized the event. He was never involved in politics until he learned about the Vermont senator, and now he has campaign merch displayed at his auto body repair shop.

“I’m always wearing my pin,” he said. “So, people ask me ― usually we’re fixing their car brakes and they’re tired and they have to wait for a little bit, so I get a chance to say, ‘Hey, you know ― what do you do? How’s your health care?’ You know, just everyday things. People are interested, and then that starts a conversation and we go from there.”