| Iowa's precinct caucuses are above all a test of organizational strength. On the evening of January 24, separate Republican and Democratic meetings will be held in each of the state's 2,131 precincts (there are 2,230 total precincts, including absentee precincts). The challenge for the campaigns has been to identify supporters who will turn out on caucus night, sit through a meeting and listen to political speeches. Even with incentives such as cookies and refreshments, such people comprise a small sub-group of registered voters. For example, in 1996, fewer than 100,000 Republicans turned out for the caucuses. (There has not been a competitive Democratic caucuses since 1988). Depending on the various campaigns' resources and strategies, some of Iowa's 99 counties offer better prospects than others. |
| COUNTY(Precincts) | Republican | Democratic | NP | Total | |||
| POLK (163) | 71,553 | 31.9 | 89,149 | 39.8 | 63,407 | 28.3 | 224,109 |
| LINN (77) | 30,774 | 26.7 | 33,747 | 29.3 | 50,748 | 44.0 | 115,269 |
| SCOTT (62) | 29,700 | 31.1 | 24,876 | 26.0 | 40,967 | 42.9 | 95,543 |
| BLACK HAWK (64) | 20,436 | 27.7 | 23,655 | 32.1 | 29,629 | 40.1 | 73,720 |
| JOHNSON (51) | 13,086 | 20.3 | 26,029 | 40.3 | 25,414 | 39.4 | 64,529 |
| WOODBURY (49) | 18,463 | 33.0 | 17,119 | 30.6 | 20,303 | 36.3 | 55,885 |
| DUBUQUE (41) | 11,253 | 21.1 | 23,032 | 43.3 | 18,931 | 35.6 | 53,216 |
| STORY (43) | 14,517 | 29.4 | 14,141 | 28.6 | 20,778 | 42.0 | 49,436 |
| POTTAWATTAMIE (51) | 17,753 | 38.6 | 13,337 | 29.0 | 14,944 | 32.5 | 46,034 |
| CLINTON (35) | 9,610 | 28.3 | 9,230 | 27.2 | 15,063 | 44.4 | 33,903 |
| CERRO GORDO (31) | 8,511 | 29.5 | 9,281 | 32.1 | 11,080 | 38.4 | 28,872 |
| TOTAL (667 of 2,131) | 840,516 of 1,802,589 |
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Partisanship Sioux, Lyon, Osceola, O'Brien, Montgomery, Butler, Allamakee, Page, Grundy and Ida. The 10 counties with the
highest percentage of active registered Democrats:
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