What Is A Caucus? How The Iowa Caucus Works

The 2012 Iowa caucus is the leadoff vote of the election season and starts the long march to Nov. 6; however, many don't know what the contest entails.

The Iowa caucus (also referred to as "caucuses" because events are held statewide) may be considered more community-oriented than other candidate selection competitions. While the process doesn't exactly work the same way in every state that holds a caucus, Iowa sets a pretty good example of what to expect.

The definition of the word caucus leaves a lot open to interpretation:

A meeting of the members of a legislative body who are members of a particular political party, to select candidates or decide policy.

But when Iowans from each of the state's 1,774 precincts leave their homes to participate in the partisan selection process at 7 p.m. CST (8 p.m. EST), they are heading toward a communal political experience. As Fox News explains, they don't just show up and vote. The process allows for community discussion about the candidates and the issues before a vote is put in front of the precinct.

According to the Daily News, many precincts meet in the same places, and this year that means there will be about 800 caucus locations.

When Republican representatives, friends, neighbors, and family members convene in Iowa gymnasiums, church basements, and high schools tonight they will also see something else: representatives for candidates. The caucus process allows candidate representatives to attempt to persuade undecided caucus-goers at the last minute, in many cases even delivering impassioned speeches before the group comes together for a vote. The same typically isn't true for primaries.

Each precinct will then select a candidate they wish to have represented on the county level. The process for doing so differs between the the Republican and Democratic parties, according to Mediaite. The GOP uses single-selection secret ballots to select a candidate in each precinct (which will happen tonight), after representatives first attempt to talk undecided voters into choosing their candidates.

After tonight's activities come to an end, the process is not over. This Nation explains that tonight's events merely select representatives from each precinct to send to county conventions in March:

The results of the caucus voting, however, do not directly determine which candidate will win the support of Iowa's voters for the presidential nomination. In fact, the caucuses are just first step in the process. Each caucus selects delegates to send to each of the 99 county conventions, which are held in March. At the county conventions, Democrats select delegates to district conventions where delegates to the state convention are chosen. Republicans bypass the district convention stage, choosing delegates to their state convention at the county conventions. Both party's state conventions are held in June. Only then, when state convention delegates cast their votes for delegates to the national party conventions, that Iowa's preferred presidential candidate's in each major party will be determined.

In essence, Iowa doesn't choose a preferred candidate until June, though in the wake of the Jan. 3 caucuses political analysts will have a pretty good idea of who will take the state, for the Republican party at least.

According to the Daily News, the Iowa caucus is written into both parties' rules to be the first event of the presidential political season, but it's a statement not enforceable by law. Before 1972, the caucus in Iowa wasn't held in the same regard as the primaries, New Hampshire's being the first.

In September, Florida moved its primary to Jan. 31, before New Hampshire's, in an attempt to gain importance. The move stirred much controversy and prompted New Hampshire to leapfrog on the primary calendar as well.

The latest Iowa polls, courtesy of HuffPost's Mark Blumenthal:

 

 

Comments

[Alex Xelasc]

08:46 PM on 01/03/2012

Man!!!!.....I don't know how the caucus works and after reading this I'm even more lost....HELP

[Sharyn350z]

08:42 PM on 01/03/2012

The only time a politician tells the truth is when he calls another politician a liar.

[Alex Xelasc]

08:47 PM on 01/03/2012

Dude!!!!!!...you killing me....lol....F&F

[davandsher]

07:38 PM on 01/03/2012

Fortunately the people on Iowa don't elect the President. They may have some influence on the Nominee is but I don't put much stock in the way people from Iowa think.

[Mandi 007]

12:09 AM on 01/04/2012

F&F. I keep thinking that, too. IA has no influence on me.

[Angela9]

06:56 PM on 01/03/2012

I love learning about our ways of choosing a Presidential Candidate.This si so exciting to watch! People of America have such Freedoms and I hope every citizen does their civil duty of voting.What a FREEDOM!

[paddledude]

09:51 PM on 01/03/2012

I like your enthusiasm.

[Mandi 007]

12:10 AM on 01/04/2012

I'm so happy the electoral college is the final decision......

[Demetersgrl]

05:56 PM on 01/03/2012

Why are these things held in churches but not synagogues or mosques? And why do these nutjobs insist on bringing up their "Christian" faith so much? Did we pass a law or something that I maybe missed? I don't want some superstitious kook representing me!

[HarvardMBA2007]

07:34 PM on 01/03/2012

They have been held in synagogues in the past... Have you ever been to Iowa? Not many mosques (or synagogues for that matter) though.... FYI nearly 90% of people in Iowa identify themselves as Christians. its just a common place people in the community people have to meet. If you don't want a "superstitious kook" then you probably wouldn't vote for any religious person (not even a Jew or Muslim who you are so concerned about).

[Demetersgrl]

07:25 AM on 01/04/2012

Did I mention Iowa? I said "these things" and that's what I meant. Nowhere in the country are they held at other religious sites. I've had to vote in churches, but never a mosque or synagogue. I've always felt a little weird going into a church to vote, which is why I posed the question.

You're wrong that I wouldn't vote for a religious person, because I have, but I wouldn't vote for one who would let his/her faith dictate how they performed their job. Silly me to think the rest of us deserve representation.

[Scott Cantacessi]

08:42 PM on 01/03/2012

because it's their right. you can hold yours in the first church of satan if you like.

[Demetersgrl]

07:28 AM on 01/04/2012

Well that's an awesome comeback. I don't believe in Satan any more than I believe in your magic guy in the sky. I don't like churches being involved in elections in any way because I believe in a strict separation of church and state. There's a lot about our religious/superstitious government that bothers me. But clearly you don't have the capacity to understand the problem with it despite history. That makes you part of the problem.

[Demetersgrl]

07:42 AM on 01/04/2012

BTW, what is their right?

[teltech543]

05:40 PM on 01/03/2012

I can tell you how the Iowa Caucus works. It is just another political theatrical production put on for the voters. It has absolutely no useful purpose other than to entertain the voter. He who entertains the most wins. Because if people believe what the actors are saying this country will never recover from the hole it is digging itself.

[momoluvsu]

05:44 PM on 01/03/2012

Its not that entertaining, other than I would buy coffee at Java Joe's.

[Demetersgrl]

05:21 PM on 01/03/2012

No dog in this fight, but it has been entertaining to watch them fight with each other. It matters not which of these pathetic hypocrites ends up the candidate...I can't wait to see Obama wipe the floor with one of them during the debates.

[coach5532]

05:30 PM on 01/03/2012

That will never happen. How can Obama possibly defend his failed administration. The only people who believe Obama stands a chance in the debates are those in a fantasy world. Don't forget Biden will also have Whoever the Republican VP candidate might be. Biden will most likely absolutely bomb.

[momoluvsu]

05:41 PM on 01/03/2012

You only said that about Biden because you saw the picture of him asleep during an important speech by the President. Obama's administration can defend the administration with their successes. And I do think Obama can hold his own against ANY of the GOP candidates even big, bad old Newtie.

[Demetersgrl]

05:49 PM on 01/03/2012

I can and will happen. These clowns are clueless. And Obama's had plenty of successes...his biggest problem has been the teabagging Congress standing the way of getting any work done. Don't deny it...they've all admitted that job one for them is to bring down Obama. They have FAILED to focus on anything else. This is hands down the dumbest Congress in history. And by dumbest I mean lowest IQs. I'd love to see them all take the high school citizenship test. Pretty sure NONE of them would pass it.

[kesac]

06:16 PM on 01/03/2012

Obama doesn't do real well in debates. He puts in so many qualifiers, "perhaps", "someday", "might", etc. that his answers are usually actually pretty meaningless.
The one answer of his that most of us remember from the last debate, "That is above my paygrade", was one of those evasions that would never have been tolerated coming from anyone else.

[Demetersgrl]

06:42 PM on 01/03/2012

You've got your opinion; I've got mine. I believe he will expose the liar for what he is.

Let's see, Gingrich won't be able to babble about family values; Santorum probably won't admit he thinks it's okay to ban birth control and Romney won't be able to lean on his religion because his Jesus belief is all wrong for our "Christian" country.

Since Obama killed the architect of 9/11 that will render their flag waving moot. None of the above would dare attempt to discuss real issues so I'm thinking it's gonna be a slam dunk for the prez.

[Joni Halvorson]

05:05 PM on 01/03/2012

I just heard Pat Robertson heard from God and he knows who the next President will be. Why not forget the Iowa vote and let Pat belly up to the mic and let us all know. Oh, that's right, he was also told he needs to keep the info private - ya know, keep us all in the dar.... WOW, so enlightening. I'm feeling a Buddha moment coming on.

[momoluvsu]

05:42 PM on 01/03/2012

So funny--FANNED

[brian05487]

04:20 PM on 01/03/2012

Lets see 1700+caucuses , out of 800 polling places. Gee and we thought only animals ate their young. We all know how the candidates have gone after each other , lets hope the cauceses go smoother.

[TOCB]

03:47 PM on 01/03/2012

These caucuses leave a lot of room for manipulation. Often there are no officials to run the meeting so someone is picked from one of the caucuses to lead it. It is usually a prominent figure or someone with a strong personality. A candidate who has strong personalities representing them at the caucus is often able to persaude weaker representatives to caucus with them and thus get more delegates.

[coach5532]

05:32 PM on 01/03/2012

Of course back in 08 the Democrats didn't work it that way I'm sure.

[AzizalSaqr]

06:40 PM on 01/03/2012

In 08 there were a lot of illegal actions happening during the caucuses, and despite complaints from those of us who backed Hillary, nothing seemed to come of it. I'm an Iowa Democrat who will be staying home tonight, and will likely vote Independent, or write in my choice for president come November because no one running so far is worth voting for. Why can't we change the laws? I want Bill Clinton Back!

[TOCB]

08:36 AM on 01/04/2012

Of course they did. This is how MOST caucuses work.

[kesac]

06:18 PM on 01/03/2012

Often, you speak about things you know nothing about, don't you?

[TOCB]

08:34 AM on 01/04/2012

My first TX caucus experience was as a Jesse Jackson delegate in 1984. My last was as a Hillary Clinton delegate in 2008. What specifically are you referring to? I am willing to address anything you THINK I know nothing about.

[fromperdink]

03:45 PM on 01/03/2012

Clearly, both the Romney and Paul campaigns and their friends are actively attempting to divide the traditional conservative vote by picking out the latest front runner among the traditional conservative field. Continuation of these negative and nasty tactics are designed to minimize the ability, for Iowa Conservatives and Conservative voters in states going forward, to nominate a traditional conservative. Hopefully traditional conservatives in Iowa will rally around Santorum and/or Gingrich, who appear to have enough support, to counter this strategy. It appears that Romney has been hands-off Paul, because he does not see Paul as a threat. The Paul team seems to believe they can win, with a misguided theory, that Paul can hold his powder against Romney by picking off what may be left of domestic economic conservatives and those who will continue to be dissatisfied with Romney, once all of the others fall. Iowa may not be able to pick the nominee, but traditional conservatives in Iowa need to vote with traditional conservative interests in mind, unless they are ready to accept the establishment nominee, Romney.

[dmoongo]

03:29 PM on 01/03/2012

Corn-fed goobers with nothing better to do, gathering to eat cookies and drink Kool-aid.

[coach5532]

05:33 PM on 01/03/2012

Just so long as they stay away from the Obama koolaid better know as Chicago Sludge.

[panamarine]

03:27 PM on 01/03/2012

As a neophyte political watcher, since Obama became President....this caucus business is, to me, confusing! What does it mean for whoever "wins" this thing? Does it mean that he or she is on his or her way to wrapping up this thing? Or is it just another stepping stone to the throne of Republican nomination? Does anyone get voted off the island? Then what happens to them? Do they just sulk and disappear into the sunset?
I will watch tonite and see the game unfold, although I have no horse in this Republican race ( I am a Liberal Democrat) I would like to see HUNTSMAN come from behind and beat all the other so called "favorites" Now that would be worth the watching!!!!

[orlandomike]

04:12 PM on 01/03/2012

This is another stepping stone but I believe the Iowa republican caucuses are usually far right in political thinking, so if the candidate is also far right and fares poorly, they might drop out. In other words that group should be your people, if you can't get them your wasting money and time. Huntsman isn't a far right guy, he is more central and the majority of hardcore republicans, those who would vote more in a primary, tend to be further right than Huntsman. That is why Huntsman wouldnt take much stock in this caucus but it is also why Iowa is thought to be a bellweather because they tend to represent republican primary voters.

[panamarine]

05:07 PM on 01/03/2012

orlandomike: Thanks for the enlight'n-ment. Now I can watch this caucus with some background as to what's going down. Or WHO'S going down and out.... !!!!

[mccglf]

05:29 PM on 01/03/2012

I agree. Huntsman is not even IN Iowa for a reason. Anyone who reads the above description can see that this is a goofy process. About 150,000 total votes...or about 5% of the state's population. And the media wrings its hands over this silliness. I am still hoping Huntsman gets some momentum....he is a bright articulate guy, but not a media darling. That is a point in HIS favor, in my opinion!

[kesac]

06:24 PM on 01/03/2012

Actually, after all the Iowa caucusses and conventions, Iowa send their delegates to the national Democratic or Republican convention where they vote for their chosen candidate on the first vote only. On any subsequent votes, they may end up voting for some one totally different.
And then, at the Democratic Convention, the Democrats have "Super Delegates". Those have the power to literally out vote all of the popularly elected delegates to their convention, just in case the little people appear to be on the verge of choosing someone that properly sing the Party tune.

[amylsimmonds]

03:19 PM on 01/03/2012

So who is this "Gingich" fellow? He seems like he did pretty well for a bit.

[tobyzip]

08:00 PM on 01/03/2012

LOL!!

[kyeshinka]

02:41 PM on 01/03/2012

Those are the general rules, but in a rural state with far-flung towns, rules aren't always followed. Candidate representatives aren't always present in every caucus site; mostly they exist in college towns and larger cities, on their cell phones being obnoxious. Most places you have an unpaid caucus chair who has a faint idea of what he or she's doing, some people are allowed to come in at 7:02, and sometimes votes are cast only in order for a candidate to earn the threshold so we can get out of there.