Explaining the Iowa caucuses
Caucuses are held in 1,781 precincts across the state of Iowa.
Jan. 3, 2008
Although the Iowa caucuses can often shape the future of the primary season and the presidential race, the process of caucusing can be confusing for people from states with primary elections and sometimes even for Iowa residents.
A caucus is simply a town meeting in which residents are assigned to precincts around the state and meet to determine which candidate they support for the Republican or Democratic nomination.
Caucusing begins promptly at 7 p.m. and usually lasts about an hour. The caucuses are held in common areas such as schools, libraries and gymnasiums. Anyone that will be 18 by the time of the presidential elections in November can caucus. And that's generally where the similarities stop for the Republican and Democratic processes.
The Republican process is fairly simple: Members assigned to a given precinct show up and take a basic straw poll to show the support for the different candidates. Then, there are representatives from the different candidates who present the positions of the candidates to the group.
After the presentations, another poll is taken and the results are called in to the party headquarters. Then, delegates are elected. A candidate will receive a certain number of delegates, depending on the number of votes they get.
The elected delegates are narrowed throughout the county conventions and district caucuses, and then the final number of delegates attends the Republican National Convention in September.
On the Democratic side, the process is a little more complicated.
The narrowing of delegates after the caucus is very similar, but the method of the presentation and the decision making is different.
- When Democratic caucus-goers gather at their precinct, they first separate themselves to different corners or areas in the room, in order to identify which candidate they support. There can be an undecided group.
- Then, the precinct leaders must determine "viability". To be "viable" a group supporting a candidate must represent at least 15 percent of the participants.
- Members in groups that are not viable can then realign. They can converse with members of viable groups to determine who their "second choice" is and can join a viable group. Members of viable or uncommitted groups can also switch groups at this point.
- After the realignment, the number of delegates is determined by using the number of participants in each viable, preferred group.
More Jan. 3, 2008 News Stories
- College students flood into Iowa to help campaign — Five students from Mizzou for Obama canvassed for Barack Obama in Greenfield, Iowa.
- Explaining the Iowa caucuses — Caucuses are held in 1,781 precincts across the state of Iowa.
- History of the Iowa caucuses — Iowa has become a proving ground for presidential candidates.
- Iowa caucuses blog — Keep checking themaneater.com throughout the night for more updates.
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