What Is the Caucasus and How Do They Work?
There are primaries and rallies in every state ahead of the general election, and today’s rally in Iowa kicks off election season. If you nod your head like “yes, of course, a meeting, ” but you secretly don’t understand what the hell everyone is talking about, this clarifier is for you.
Before a presidential candidate can be included on the ballot for a general election, he must obtain the approval and support of his political party. Think of factions and primaries as NFL playoffs – with candidates eliminated after each round of voting – and this fall’s general election is like the Super Bowl, where (usually) two candidates go head to head for the right to fart in an oval. office.
How is a meeting different from a regular primary meeting?
Each state has caucus or regular primary, but both are part of the primary process. A regular primary is essentially a ballot election open to all eligible voters in that party. Caucus is more of a political event, especially for Democrats (more on this in a moment).
Both are held at the state level, but primaries are led by state governments and meetings by state party officials. In terms of accessibility, voters participate in the primaries by voting at any time on the day of the primary. On the other hand, meetings are held at a specific time, in a specific place. If you are late or unavailable, you cannot participate. Caucuses are also much more time consuming, some of which take hours. This list from Election Central will let you see if your state is holding a primaries or caucus and when.
What happens in the meeting
So what actually happens in these meetings? Much depends on your party affiliation, but there are a few things you can expect no matter who you are. For both Republicans and Democrats, caucus can be a long process. The Iowa caucus, for example, starts at exactly 7 p.m. today and is likely to last for about two or three hours. Voters will meet in schools, churches, and other community centers at the state’s 1,681 polling stations and then get down to business. Each polling station elects or represents its delegates or representatives of its parties at the national convention later this year. Party officials campaign at the last minute or make a few speeches, and sometimes even presidential candidates are present. Finally, after all this, the actual voting will begin.
This is where things start to differ dramatically. Here’s a breakdown:
If you are a Republican:
After listening to a few speeches and possibly speaking to a few politicians, you vote secretly in the voting booth, as if you were doing it during a regular primary or general election. That’s it for the GOP faction.
If you are a Democrat:
The process of voting in a Democratic meeting is a little more physical and laborious, but also a little more fun. Here’s how it all breaks down:
- The total number of voters at the meeting is counted.
- Voters gather in a large room to talk to each other and convince each other that their candidate is bigger, stronger and cooler.
- Voters are then asked to vote in groups for each candidate. They may also initially remain aloof in an “indecisive” group.
- Then the number of people in each group is counted.
- Any candidate who does not have at least 15% of the total vote is removed.
- Then the “restructuring” phase begins. Voters who were part of an out-of-pocket candidate group or part of an as yet undecided pool must then select a new candidate for their side. While they are deciding, voters are allowed to talk to each other (read: shout) and try to convince those who recently did not join the elections why their candidate is bigger, stronger and cooler.
- Once these voters bunch up with their new groups, everyone is counted again, and candidates with less than 15% of the total vote are removed.
This process continues until only viable candidates remain. If this process sounds like it can get intense and loud, you are right.This video from inside the 2008 Iowa State Meeting will give you a little taste.
What will happen after that?
Depending on the state, delegates are divided based on the results of the meeting and sent to the party convention to vote for their candidate on behalf of their state. Some states hold “compulsory” primary elections, which are more of a winner-take-all competition. In states with compulsory primary elections, all state delegates are nominated to one candidate. Other states have “proportional” primary elections in which delegates are awarded in proportion to the vote of the population. Finally, there are the “optional” primary elections. The optional primary election first selects candidates for the state convention, where those candidates vote on how to split the state delegates.
Some states, such as Iowa, start even smaller and select county convention candidates, who then select state convention candidates and then finally vote for national convention delegates. It all depends on the state, so if you’re wondering how your state does it , this list from USElections.com explains.
Finally, delegates from each state go to their party’s national convention and vote for their party’s presidential candidate. They usually vote based on the results of voting at their precinct, so often the winners are predicted in advance. However, delegates do not have to keep their promises, so competition on an equal footing can be anyone’s game. After counting the votes of the delegate, each party announces its own presidential candidate.
How can you get involved
If you want to participate in this process, meetings are a chance for you to put your voice where you speak. There are a few things you should know first:
- Find out if there is a closed or public meeting in your state. Some are “closed”, which means that you can only participate if you are a registered member of that political party. Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Maine, Alaska, and Hawaii are all closed meetings. Some of them are “open”, that is, a registered voter can participate in any closed meeting, regardless of party affiliation. Washington, Idaho, North Dakota, and Minnesota hold public meetings. You can refer to the Voting Center list earlier to find out what meetings are being held in your state.
- The sooner you can register to vote, the better . Caucus are not standard primaries, but you still need to be a registered voter. Almost every state allows same day voter registration, but some (like Colorado) require you to register early. Even if your state offers same-day voter registration, you can probably save everyone time by registering early.
- Be punctual. You must be on time to participate in the meeting. Both sides are very strict.
The voters you find in meetings are usually a little more politically involved, but that doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t participate. So sign up and be the change you are looking for.
Why is the Iowa meeting important?
The Iowa Caucus represents only 1% of the total number of delegates who will cast their votes in national assemblies, and the entire primary process will take several months to complete its course. So why all this hype? Well, the Iowa meeting was the first phase of the presidential race since 1972, and political analysts believe that much can only be determined by the outcome of this one state meeting. The Des Moines Registry explains how the previous caucuses in Iowa were shocked:
Since 1972, the top voter in the Democratic factions has won seven of nine competitive races, but only Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Barack Obama in 2008 won the presidential election. Among Republicans, since 1980, the Iowa Caucus winner has been nominated twice in six races, and the presidency only once: George W. Bush in 2000.
Candidates who win a faction in Iowa don’t always win in their party’s nomination, but history dictates that this is a pretty good indicator of what’s to come. Winning the first meeting is often viewed by voters as a “great start” and gives candidates valuable visibility and momentum. All of this means more money from supporters and donors, and more money means more prime-time TV ads and floppy disk signs on your front lawn.