Crash Course: How To Caucus In Iowa

Republicans And Democrats Have Entirely Different Caucus Systems

(CBS)  The caucuses may be the first real contest of the presidential campaign, but they will not be selecting any delegates to the national conventions.

Instead, they will be measuring the popularity of the candidates - and the parties use radically different tools.

Both parties hold caucuses in each of Iowa's 1,781 precincts: They might be in a school, a church, a library, even a home. But that's where the similarity ends, CBS News senior political correspondent Jeff Greenfield reports.

The Republican process is simple. You show up at 7 p.m. and declare you're a registered Republican - if not, you can register right there.

And after short speeches by candidates' backers, “You get a blank piece of paper, you simply write down the name, and that's completed and you're done,” said Mary Tiffany, Iowa Republican Party communications director.

A secret ballot, a straight up count. The candidate with the most votes wins. A model of simplicity.

But the Democrats? Not so much.

Democrats show up at 6:30 p.m., and doors close at 7 p.m. And then - instead of a secret ballot, caucus-goers publicly declare their choices by moving into different corners of the room, into "presidential preference groups."

Unlike Republicans, there no secret ballot. As one 2004 caucus in Adair, Iowa, shows, you have to stand up in front of perhaps your boss or spouse and declare your choice. Doesn't that raise the possibility of intimidation?

"It is neighbors talking to neighbors about who they're selecting for their nominee, they're expressing the right to vote for who they please," said Democratic Party communications director Carrie Giddens.

A head count is taken. And - critically - a candidate must achieve a certain level of support - usually 15 percent - to be "viable." You might think of this first step as an "elimination round."

If a canidate is declared "not-viable," his supporters can either go home - or "realign," joining up with a candidate who has survived, and move to another corner of the room.

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Couric & Co. Blog: Three Things You Don't Know About Caucusing
Click here for more explanation of the caucuses from CBS News’ polling director.

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What happens is something between earnest debate and old-fashioned horse-trading - as in 2004 when backers of John Kerry and John Edwards argued and pleaded with backers of Howard Dean to join up with them.

Once realignment is done, a final head count is made - and each precinct awards delegates not to the national conventions, but to the Iowa Democratic County Conventions. Drake University Professor Dennis Goldford does his best to explain: "It's the number of people in the preference group times the number of delegates that precinct sends to the county convention, divided by the total number of caucus participants in that precinct."

Uh, right. What really matters - what everyone will be talking about - is the final statewide tally that will tell us how much support Clinton, Edwards, Obama and the others generated.

[wardoglrs]

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[zanderdoodle]

To kahunagadol,
We are not "yokels" nor do we have "yokel bretheren". No wonder we have so many problems in America today. It is because of people like you who have to judge us without knowing anything about us or what we stand for. I am sure you wouldn''t mind "the yokels" voting for the candidate of your choice which I am sure is not the person I will be going to the caucus for tonight.

[infidel_us]

How Liberals Caucus In Iowa

1) Arrive fashonably late in your Volvo or Beemer

2) Order a white wine with brie cheese and fruit
(Chi latte may be substtuted for all of item 2)

3) Spend half an hour talking about how Hugo Chavez and Castro are really not as bad as they seem. I mean, afterall, why would Sean Penn and Danny Glover be lining up to stick their tongues down their throats if they were so bad, right?

Refill wine/latte

4) Spend the next half hour discussing the writer''s strike and why Bush is a failure because he hasn''t intervened and ended it.

5) Discuss why republicans went to war in Iraq instead of helping the poor black people in Darfur and Kenya. Spend the next half hour wondering where Darfur and Kenya actually are.

Refill wine/latte

6) Vote for Hillary becasue she''s a woman and DESERVES to be president.

7) Feel real good about your accomplishments for the evening and convince yourself that Iowans are a superior race.

[im2pid2]

There is only one candidate with no SKELETINS in his closet. Amazing after Years in Washington he has been the American People''s CHAMPION in Constitutionally sound voting. He will do all within his power to get our military out of a losing battle in Iraq ( another Viet Nam ). Secure our Borders and restore the Constitution. Bring back our economy by stop giving tax credits to Big business who outsource and move our factory''s outside of our country for slave labor wages. Stop going into dept to Red China and put us back on the gold standard.
Big business ( Big Money ) who control the media which attempted to control how we think and vote will never even mention Dr. Ron Paul if Possible.
It is time people start thinking for themselves and the future of America.
If we don''t bring our Government into Check now it likely will be to late.

Vote for AMERICA''S future.
Vote for Dr Ron Paul
God Bless AMERICA.

[kahunagadol]

Sorry, but I have bad news for the media, the handlers, and the hypsters: I don''t care who the yokels in Iowa want to top the tickets. They and their yokel bretheren in New Hampshire do not dictate TO ME or influence ME in any way as to the person I want for my party''s candidate.

[g02342000]

Edwards / Biden is the best ticket for all America, anything less will be as bad as keeping Bush in office forever. America deserves honest men of integrity that will fight for all Americans. Edwards is a true patriot that can make America great, he has the substinance, determination, and will to fight greed, corruption and end the outsourcing of our jobs, His economic, education, health and welfare policies are now being copied by all the candidates. Edwards spoke out months and even years before the others. America needs to think about why are the "Washington Greed, Corruption, Large Corporations and Media" trying to make this a two candidate Democratic race? Edwards is the only one able to win the Presidency from the democratic side, and any republican that is nominated will beat Clinton and/or Obama. Elect someone that cares about America and will make it great for all, John Edwards.

[apolloknowsa]

Simple. Vote for Mitt. Bring your neighbor, your spouse, your legal age kids and caucus for the most qualified executive, the one with the wonderful family, the best resume, the excellent education, the one who lived in Europe for years, the one who has discussed the issues and has not resorted to bigotry or personal attacks, the one who has been successful in business, in government and where the two cross-over (Olympic savior)

in short, Mitt is presidential.

Huck would make a great comic-in-chief, but with the world the way it is, we need Mitt Romney.

Show up at your caucus, vote for Mitt. I am in Seattle and beg you to not help the democrats by giving huckabee some life.