Get ready for your caucus experience

By Quad-City Times

----

They're a little bit goofy.

Most Iowa voters show up at their first caucuses unsure of what to do next. They await instruction, then embark on a process so rare, there are few experts.

“People who are running the caucus won't have the experience because this only happens once every four years,” said Scott County Supervisor Larry Minard, a caucus veteran from the very beginning in 1972. “People have to be patient.”

Particularly this year. Scott County Republicans are hoping the tight race will draw 7,000 participants, a 40 percent increase over the 2008 version. “I think there will be a huge turnout this year. There will be organized chaos,” said Scott County Supervisor Bill Cusack, who moved back to the Quad-Cities in 2005 and will participate in his first caucus in 20 years.

Both parties will nominate delegates to county conventions, collect platform proposals and vote on candidates. But without a presidential contest, the Democrats' version will be short and dull. The county party has yet to list the caucuses on its January calendar. No caucus site information is available from the state party.

A full presidential field makes the Republican caucus much more exciting. Scott County Republicans have picked their sites and set agendas. The agenda includes selection of delegates, some platform discussion, and a collection to help cover caucus and convention expenses.

At each caucus site, a supporter of each presidential candidate will be allowed to make a short pitch. Then participants mark a paper ballot. The results are compiled by the party, not the county auditor. This is a party-run, not state-run, process.

Scott County Republicans recently conducted caucus training, so they'll know what to expect. But this will still seem new to most Republican voters. Even the most experienced have seen only one contested caucus since 2000.

“Don't be afraid. If you make a mistake, who cares?” Cusack said. “I make them all the time. Shrug it off and ask more questions.”

Regardless of the process or party, caucus-goers say this awkward process is oddly rewarding.

“What I liked seeing is the great concern from the people,” said Davenporter Jordan Broyles, who first caucused with Democrats in 2008. “They didn't say or do anything, but the look in their eyes and their attentive listening and asking questions displayed the excitement of the caucus goers.”

“There is something Iowan about it,” said Ryan Dye, who caucused with Democrats in Davenport in 2004.