LIVE: The Iowa caucuses officially begin, kicking off the 2020 Democratic primary elections

Samantha Lee/Business Insider

• Iowa voters will officially kick off the 2020 Democratic primary races with tonight's caucuses. 
• Iowa is a relatively small state that allocates just 1% of the delegates candidates earn on their way to the nomination.
• Still, it holds disproportionate significance in the process as it's the first state to cast its ballots for the presidential nomination.
• The eventual Democratic nominee won the Iowa caucuses in six out of the past eight competitive Democratic presidential primaries.
• Sen. Bernie Sanders holds a narrow lead in the primary polling, but anything is possible. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Iowa, the first state to hold an election in the Democratic primary, casts its ballots tonight. Iowan began to gather at a local space in their election precinct starting at 7 p.m. Central time, and caucus-goers are well on their way to determine who will get their state's 41 delegates.

This is a complex, collaborative process, and you can read more about it below, as it's unlike any election most Americans have taken a part in. 

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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