Record Turnout Expected At Kootenai County Democratic Caucus

As turnout at the Kootenai County Democratic caucus will reach record levels today, the frequency of calls reaching the Democratic organizers also reflects the party's unprecedented support in Idaho. Almost 300 calls were received Monday from a public curious about where to go and what to do at today's event, and today calls were coming in at around one every minute.

"The excitement is through the roof," said Democratic Caucus Chair Tamara Poelstra, who handles the infrastructure for the party in Kootenai Country. "Today I had to hire extra volunteers to man the phones."

The original estimate was 1000 participants, but interest has spiked within the last couple of days. Democratic organizers attribute much of this year's enthusiasm to the presence of Obama's campaign headquarters, who have actively sought votes from Idaho Democrats and independents. Should space in the gym become scarce, organizers are prepared to ask observers to leave as well as voters who have cast their ballot and won't change their mind.

"We tried to think of everything to go wrong," said Bev Moss, one of the caucus organizers. "We've bought a fog horn. This will stop the chaos."