Here's What A Republican Caucus Looks Like In Iowa

Caucusing takes a lot of effort and can produce big upsets and surprises.

The Iowa caucuses taking place Monday evening are nothing like presidential primary events in other states. Instead of showing up to a polling site and privately filling out a ballot, Iowans participate in an hours-long process that involves human interaction and persuasion.

In this video of the 2012 Iowa Republican caucus, Sarah and David Bowman walk The Huffington Post through the process. At a megachurch in the town of Waukee, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry spoke before the auditorium of caucusgoers to tout his campaign. Ann Romney was there to talk up her husband, Mitt. And Sarah, a fan of Rick Santorum, spoke in front of her friends and neighbors to explain why she was backing the former senator from Pennsylvania.

Watch the Bowmans explain how the Iowa caucus works for Republicans above.

After each candidates' supporters gave their spiel, voters present at the caucus site filled out their ballot. But the 2012 Iowa caucuses weren’t wrapped up that night. Romney was initially declared the victor by just eight votes. Then, because of local reporting problems, Iowa's Republican Party said it couldn’t certify a Santorum victory, even though a canvass of the state’s precincts had found him 34 votes ahead of Romney. Eighteen days after the caucus, Santorum was officially declared the winner.

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Politicians At The Iowa State Fair

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