What’s a Caucus? And Why Jan. 3 Iowa Caucuses Are Important in 2012
EmailCome rain or snow or unseasonably warm weather, it’s almost caucus time in Iowa.
The Hawkeye State will hold its first-in-the-nation presidential vote Jan. 3, framing national perceptions and deciding momentum for the early part of the 2012 campaign – at least until New Hampshire holds its primary one week later.
As Republicans prepare to begin their race in earnest, Mitt Romney leads the pack in Iowa, with Ron Paul surging and Newt Gingrich falling behind. The latest major survey of the Hawkeye State, conducted Dec. 27-28 by NBC/Marist, showed Romney (23 percent) in first and Paul (21 percent) in second, ahead of Rick Santorum (15 percent), Rick Perry (14 percent), Gingrich (13 percent), and Michele Bachmann (6 percent), whose campaign hit a major snag with the defection of her state chairman.
The caucuses will come early again this year. Despite the Republican National Committee’s best efforts to postpone the start of the national 2012 primary campaign, Iowa moved its caucus date ahead of the RNC’s February start window after Florida jumped the line.
The Iowa caucuses will award no delegates to any candidate, and they follow a complicated delegate-selection process. But the Iowa caucuses are significant for two reasons: timing and tradition.
In 1972, the Democratic Party, the only party engaged in a primary battle that year, moved the date of its Iowa caucuses from the middle of the calendar to the start, scheduling the voting contest in January. Four years later, in 1976, the Republican Party moved its caucuses to January as well, solidifying Iowa’s status as the first-in-the-nation vote.
The caucus has a mixed history when it comes to choosing the eventual nominee of both the Republican and Democratic parties. Five Democratic winners – Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale, Al Gore, John Kerry and Barack Obama – along with three Republican winners – Gerald Ford, Bob Dole and George W. Bush – have parlayed their Iowa victories into Democratic and Republican presidential nominations since 1972.
But where the event truly gains its importance is in terms of momentum. Leading up to the Democratic primary of 1972, Sen. Edmund Muskie of Maine was widely considered to be the front-runner. Muskie received the highest percentage of the vote in Iowa that year, but his challenger, Sen. George McGovern of South Dakota, made a very strong second-place showing. McGovern’s second-place finish gave him a boost of media attention, which he rode all the way to his party’s nomination.
Prior to 1976, Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter was little known outside of his home state. His first-place finish among the five Democratic candidates in Iowa brought him into the national spotlight and, like George McGovern before him, took him all the way the Democratic nomination for president.
Many people have criticized the importance placed on the Iowa caucus, arguing that the state is a poor representation of the rest of the country. Indeed, the demographics of the Iowan population differ from the demographics of the country as a whole. Iowa’s population is 91.3 percent white, according to the 2010 Census, compared with 72.4 of the U.S. population.
Only 2.9 percent of Iowans are African-American and people of Hispanic or Latino origin make up 5 percent of the state, compared with 12.6 percent and 16.3 percent across the country, respectively, according to the 2010 Census.
But Iowans stand by their caucuses. They are fiercely proud of their state’s role in electing presidential candidates and take the task seriously. Retail politicking has long been the key to success in the Hawkeye state. Candidates typically spend months trekking across Iowa’s 99 counties, shaking hands, kissing babies and, even sometimes, in the case of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, pulling beards.
That’s not to say big money isn’t spent on the Iowa caucuses. It’s estimated that in 2008 more than $51 million was spent in the state on ads, headquarter rentals, hotels, food, transportation, etc. The candidates have spent more than $2.4 million and counting on ads alone in this election cycle.
Despite Iowa’s sizable hype, no national delegates will be directly at stake Jan. 3. In presidential voting, the Iowa GOP caucuses are essentially a statewide straw poll.
The Hawkeye State will send 28 delegates to the Republican National Convention in Tampa Aug. 23, out of 2,286 voting delegates total, but all of Iowa’s delegates will be “unbound,” or free to vote for any candidate for president or vice president. Iowa works differently from most states, which will award delegates to presidential candidates proportionally, according to how much of the vote each candidate captures. Most of those delegates will be required to vote for a specific candidate during the first round of voting at the national convention. Iowa’s won’t.
So when caucusgoers show up Jan. 3, what will they actually vote for? And how do the caucuses work?
Each of Iowa’s 1,774 precinct caucuses can follow its own rules. In and around Des Moines, for instance, some precincts draw hundreds of voters to schools and community centers; in rural areas, handfuls of Republicans will gather, in private homes in a few cases.
The larger caucus sites will work like this: Before the doors open at 7 p.m., caucusgoers will line up outside , where campaign supporters and interest-group activists will be able to wave signs, talk to voters and, generally, campaign. At check-in, Democrats and independents will be able to re-register Republican on the spot, meaning that, for practical purposes, Iowa’s GOP caucuses are open to anyone who wants to participate.
The GOP caucuses don’t work like regular elections, in which voters stand in line and file into booths. Nor do they work like Iowa’s Democratic caucuses, where voters stand in different areas of a caucus site for head-counting.
Many GOP caucus sites will have chairs, or bleachers if the caucus is held in a gym; at others, voters will simply stand around in a room. Temporary caucus chairmen and secretaries will gavel the proceedings open, after which the Pledge of Allegiance will be recited. The caucusgoers will then elect a chair and secretary, usually by voice vote, to officiate for the rest of the evening.
The presidential vote comes first. Candidates or their representatives – sometimes well-known figures from out of state, sometimes local supporters – will be given about two minutes each to deliver speeches. After that, caucuses will hand out “ballots,” most often blank slips of paper on which voters write a candidate’s name.
Voters will drop their ballots in boxes, or just hand them in; different precincts use different rules, affording different degrees of secrecy. Votes will be tallied, and the caucus chair will announce the winner at that precinct. Caucusgoers can leave after voting for a candidate, and many likely will.
Next, the delegate selection process begins, and here’s where Iowa’s system gets complicated. Precinct caucuses will elect delegates to March 10 county conventions, which in turn will elect (from their pools of delegate-attendees) delegates to congressional-district conventions and the June 16 state GOP convention, which will in turn elect Iowa’s delegates to the Republican National Convention. Votes for county-convention delegates aren’t too competitive on caucus night, and more attention is paid to national-delegate selection at the later convention votes.
After voting on county-level party positions and signing up junior delegates, to participate in the Iowa GOP’s youth program, caucusgoers can submit platform proposals for the county GOP committees.
And after that, when the Iowa results are reported nationally, presidential candidates will pack up and move onto New Hampshire and South Carolina, leaving Iowa to dominate national political storylines for another week, and not again until 2016.
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Actually the polls show Paul is leading, but I guess that was a mistake ;-)
Posted by: Steve Ginty | December 30, 2011, 7:36 am 7:36 am
STEVE GINTY: A quick glance at Wikipedia’s “Nationwide opinion polling for the Republican Party 2012 presidential primaries” page would show you that that just isn’t so. Ron Paul hasn’t had the lead in any nationwide poll since the campaigns started. Or even close to it. At present he’s showing about half the support that the two front runners, Romney and Gingrich, show. Maybe Wikipedia and all the organisations that conduct nationwide polls are part of the New World Order MSM anti Ron Paul conspiracy. Or, then again, maybe not. Maybe he’s just not as popular as his supporters keep claiming.
Posted by: 2hundredthousand | December 30, 2011, 8:11 am 8:11 am
This taxpayer-funded caucus is IRRELEVANT because the Republican Party already chose its 2012 “nominee” and running mate at least A YEAR OR TWO AGO.
Posted by: Juliannas_Uncle | December 30, 2011, 8:42 am 8:42 am
This is s ridiculous system, and I would never live in Iowa because of this political system. All I have seen about Iowa says that their system is totally stupid, invalid, and ridiculous.
No, the vote in Iowa is NOT meaningful in any way, and they absolutely need to change their system, or candidates should all boycott that state in the future. This is America, and the voting process should require every voter to get out and vote, on their volition.
The manipulated process in Iowa should actually be banned.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | December 30, 2011, 9:08 am 9:08 am
RON PAUL IN 2012! He gets no support from the media, or other politicians…but thats okay, he doesnt need it : )
Posted by: Greg | December 30, 2011, 9:12 am 9:12 am
Also! Its funny that when Paul leads in polls its a “mistake” or a “suprise” or “no big deal” meanwhile people glorify Gingrich and the rest of the flip-flopping competition. Young people are gonna vote Paul, if they vote at all. Believe it.
Posted by: Greg | December 30, 2011, 9:16 am 9:16 am
I believe the president is under a lot of stress and needs to take more vacations. Higher taxes will easily cover the expense.
Posted by: SameAgain | December 30, 2011, 9:21 am 9:21 am
These early elections by insignificant States causing undue winnowing of the candidate field before the States that really matter in the real election have a chance to vote is the best argument for abolishing them. The country should be divided, say into 5 regions of 10 States each, and all in one week, the five regions should vote, one region per day (assigned randomly year-to-year). The present primary system is undemocratic.
Posted by: Tyrone | December 30, 2011, 9:26 am 9:26 am
I may have to reread the article. I still don’t get what a cuacus exactly is, but as long as Obama gets to have his hawaiin vacation in peace then I’ll be OK with it.
Posted by: lexingtonlady | December 30, 2011, 9:30 am 9:30 am
They complain about Pres. Obama …he got us home from Iraq, got Osama, got the Auto Industry back on it’s feet….gee he such a horrible president. NOT! The Economy has been going down for decades, the war cost us tons, etc. And the GOP puts up a bunch of CLowns, just like Congress, and people would actually vote for any of these? People believe whatever is posted on here…most of it is not factual, just rants from people with no substance. And we wonder why our country is in such a mess!
Posted by: Barb | December 30, 2011, 10:00 am 10:00 am
I believe we should be that shining city on a hill for the world to see. I believe we our a nation “guided by the light from above.” I believe that “shining light” is that, but no other, then that of HOPE.
I believe we all are born with God given talents; though, many have not discovered these, yet. I believe, we all have a small piece of solutions, to our massive US economic challenges puzzle.
As a play on words, you must have R&D for companies to progress. You get your medical advice from a DR. If you take the first letters of our major political parties (R-Republican, D-Democrat), together they mean good, no matter which order you place first. We need for our political parties to work together.
I believe America is so close to better days, if we work together. I believe this due to one simple fact. What we believe will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Go USA!
Second, you cannot change directions of a very large ship 180 on a dime. It takes constant force (efforts) for a minimum amount of time to do so, Many Americans believe the US is heading in the wrong direction. Just like a large ship, it is going to take large amount of efforts for a minimum amount of time to change directions of our US economic ship.
I hear ads that better days will be started day one on Election Day. That would be like appointing a new captain for our USS America. The real challenge will be to unite all Americans to agree which way to turn the ship. The real challenge will be to motivate us to put out effort to help change the direction of this ship 180.
The results of Election Day will still have the challenges mentioned above…
Third, people by nature are resistant to change. We talk about entitlements versus private sector jobs. We talk about making government much smaller so the private sector can create new jobs. I feel the way to do this, is like changing directions of our USS economic ship. It would have to be done by content efforts for a minimum amount of time. For every dollar reduction in entitlements, should be met by one-dollar increase in non-government spending, in a gradual sense.
The non-government spending would include non-profits and churches spending; not to mention new jobs created by the private sector. Programs started, by these organizations, should include jobs retraining, among other things.
Finally, we must, as a nation, believe in ourselves and believe in each other for new HOPE to be reborn for all. By working together, we all will obtain higher goals beyond our wildest dreams. Then everyone will win across the US and across the globe…
These are just opinions…What vision would you like to see for the US to become? And what are they?
Posted by: Dave Des Moines | December 30, 2011, 10:02 am 10:02 am
I thank God every day that President Obama is in office. I shudder to think what America would be like today under a McCain Palin administration.
Posted by: sameagain | December 30, 2011, 10:05 am 10:05 am
Sameagain: People don’t think of that…I can’t imagine…McCain was too old and pro war and Palin quit as governor so how could she handle VP or God forbid President! Pres. Obama is not doing such a bad job, it’s the posters and some media that spread hate and lies. No president is perfect. And Congress should all be voted out…they would not work with him from day one and are a bunch of spoiled overpaid brats!
Posted by: Barb | December 30, 2011, 10:13 am 10:13 am
Barb,
Hate to inform you of the obvious, this is a blog and it is okay to rant and give opinions. Congress was democrats for two of the years Obama was President. While Osama was found through water boarding and taken out by the Navy Seals. The auto industry is still suffering and will continues, notice that used cars sell quicker than new ones.
Sounds like you, Barb, need to look more thorough at what is going on and the purpose of a blog. Research and educate yourself better.
Posted by: Melinda | December 30, 2011, 10:15 am 10:15 am
Actually the polls show Paul is leading, but I guess that was a mistake ;-)
Posted by: Steve Ginty | December 30, 2011, 7:36 am
__________________________________________
Out of 21 recent national and caucus polls, only the PPP (D) Iowa Caucus Poll shows Paul leading. Please name the other poll or polls that you speak of. Or perhaps you made a mistake when you used the plural “polls.”
Posted by: Numeros | December 30, 2011, 10:24 am 10:24 am
RON PAUL IS LEADING! ARE YOU HIGH? PRESENT THE FACTS!!!
RON PAUL 2012!
Posted by: Manuel | December 30, 2011, 10:26 am 10:26 am
Melinda: it’s YOU who should educate yourself! I never said you couldn’t give your opinion, I said there ARE LIES AND UNTRUTHS on these boards. It’s fine to state your opinion, but when someone keeps stating nonsense, like Pres. Obama never showed his birth certificate and he is a Muslim, and then people believe this…these are LIES. Get it?
BTW If Bush got Osams people would be saying he’s a hero! Get over it…Pres. Obama got Osama…sure the Seals went in, you didn’t expect the president to did you? And this is a perfect example of no credit given where due!
Posted by: Barb | December 30, 2011, 10:28 am 10:28 am
The Iowa caucuses are a beauty contest, nothing else, we get to see the candidates flaws and if they have a presidential demeanor.
President Obama won Iowa by 9 percentage points in the 2008 presidential election. If this republican circus continues, he’ll win by 20 percentage points.
The caucuses represent less than 5% of the actual voters in Iowa. Despite all the media hype, Iowa does have some democrats and independents and not everyone in the state is an evangelical Christian.
Posted by: tmferretti | December 30, 2011, 11:08 am 11:08 am
Barb said…just rants from people with no substance. And we wonder why our country is in such a mess! ***Girl, talk about no substance! You talk in circles! We’re in such a mess because of dumb people like you. Wise up or stay home next November!
Posted by: Noel | December 30, 2011, 11:09 am 11:09 am
However, to be fair, Barb did make some excellent points. The fact that we republicans are too stupid to understand them is no reflection on her.
Posted by: noel | December 30, 2011, 11:18 am 11:18 am
President Obama is doing a good job considering the economic situation he inherited from the republicans. His foreign policy stance is logical and consistent.
The republicans have no solutions. They rant and rave but offer nothing constructive. They want to take us back to the same trickledown policies of the Bush administration that got us into this mess in the first place. Deregulate Wall Street so that they can make the same risky investments that needed a bailout to stabilize our financial institutions is their answer.
President Obama will win this election by a landslide; the question is will his coat tails be long enough to throw out the “do nothing” republicans in Congress.
Posted by: tmferretti | December 30, 2011, 11:28 am 11:28 am
NOEL: “Barb said…just rants from people with no substance. And we wonder why our country is in such a mess! ***Girl, talk about no substance! You talk in circles! We’re in such a mess because of dumb people like you. Wise up or stay home next November!” – - – WRONG. Barb did not talk in circles and she was not ranting. Barb made specific observations that are in fact accurate. YOU are the one talking in circles and dishonestly taking her comment out of context. In fact, your mischaracterization of her comment is precisely the kind of dishonest misinformation and pointless blathering to which she is referring. Instead of providing a cogent counterargument to her claims/comments you simply engage in a childish ad hominem attack. Ironically, you even acknowledge at 11:09 that she makes “some excellent points” that at least some Republicans are too stupid to understand. Rabid partisans are always so busy reacting in the most negative way they can imagine they never bother to attempt any critical thinking. Simply and bluntly speaking, rabid partisans are totally incapable of independent rational thought.
Posted by: B-K KnightRider | December 30, 2011, 11:54 am 11:54 am
Do republicans really believe that the purpose of big business is to create jobs? They spend millions on cost accountants whose main purpose is to produce the same output with less people. Sorry republicans, they will not hire you because you believe they should be taxed less and need de-regulation.
They will hire when they can’t meet the demand for their products with the amount of people they have now. The biggest impediment to demand is that you republicans believe that we don’t have to put money into the private sector to increase demand. You insist on arguing about the meaningless debt and deficit while business go under because people don’t have the money to buy their products.
Sears and K-Mart are prime examples.
Posted by: tmferretti | December 30, 2011, 11:55 am 11:55 am
Noel: I have been off for about 50 minutes. I did not post anything with your name. This keeps happening all the time on these boards. They do it to me constantly and that’s why I don’t get on too much. But if that is your post telling me to stay home in Nov. you are the one who is immature.
I’m really done this time. You cannot post your opinion on here because you are called names and people start with the impersonating posts. There are too many immature people on here and that is exactly why we are in a mess. And ABC allows people to post with other people’s names….
Posted by: Barb | December 30, 2011, 11:58 am 11:58 am
BK Knightrider: Thanks…I do get sick of the posts twisting things and as I just posted the people posting with my name and others…..it’s disgusting and I seldom get on anymore.
Have a great New Years! :–)
Posted by: Barb | December 30, 2011, 12:02 pm 12:02 pm
Mitt Romney was a hedge fund manager, made tens of millions, yet perplexingly Romney knows little of macro economics. I remember back in late 2007, Ron Paul warned of the coming economic crisis, Romney looked at Paul with a dumbfounded look and yelled ” you are crazy, America has never been stronger”. Isn’t America wonderful, when a guy of average intelligence can make millions as a Hedge fund manager and still not know anything about the state of the world’s economy.
Ron Paul will defend against the erosion of the constitution, and he will defend our constitutional liberties and freedoms, not just for a select few. America and the rest of the western world is facing a debt armageddon, the current fate of Europe is in the cards for America, Britain, Japan, we are only kicking the can down the road. Ron Paul’s budget cuts will be hard, but they are necessary and will restore America’s glory BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. Ron Paul’s views seem revolutionary, but they are correct. Ron Paul is also right when it comes to foreign policy, America can no longer afford to impose its will on the world. America should protect America’s vital interests when a proven threat is shown, America should not police the world. The other GOP contenders believe the road to peace is via war.
Vote for Ron Paul, or expect the status quo and America’s decline.
Posted by: skipper | December 30, 2011, 2:53 pm 2:53 pm
Tomorrow’s story : “Why the Iowa Caucues Are Not Important”
Posted by: malibujim | December 31, 2011, 11:27 pm 11:27 pm
Iowans stay strong with your support of Ron Paul. This is your chance to send a message to all Americans and the entire Iowans stay strong with your support of Ron Paul. This is your chance to send a message to all Americans and the entire world that “we the people” will determine our future, and that we choose a future which will enable us to live free and by our constitution. This decision will impact our future like none since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Reject the Status Quo candidates political glib. We need the PROVEN unwavering strength of Ron Paul.
Posted by: alienlanding | January 1, 2012, 5:15 pm 5:15 pm
“I thank God every day that President Obama is in office. I shudder to think what America would be like today under a McCain Palin administration.”
Posted by: SEARAMBLER (SAMEAGAIN)
Thanks for another absurd post. Shudder or fake shudder all you want, lol, but the country would be in far less debt with more people employed under them. That’s certain. Obama is an utter failure.
Posted by: Jimmie | January 2, 2012, 11:25 am 11:25 am
I am doubting that Obama can dig his way back out of the hole he has put himself and us in, but I hope he can. He just needs 4 more years to get in the good groove of things.
Posted by: lexingtonlady | January 2, 2012, 11:27 am 11:27 am
Lex Lady asked about a caucus. The GOP side gathers and talks about their personal prefferance of canidates. Then they vote for their choice – all votes count and are turned into the state level. Then the meeting discusses issues to be bought forward at the county and state GOP conferance.
The Democratic side does its thing by breaking into groups for each canidate. There is a certain percentage that a candidate must receive to be considered as a Viable candidate. If your group is non-viable, you have to join a viable group to be counted. It can get to be a vocal degrading contest to get you to join another group. I personally do not join a candidate’s group that I can not support- thus my vote does not count. As a Retired soldier, I feel integrity does count, so I stand fast for my belief.
Posted by: unemployed DEM | January 2, 2012, 9:51 pm 9:51 pm
While I’m not a fan of Obama in certain areas especially the economy and business, Barb here is probably one of the few with spot on observations. For example the lady who said the “seals” got him. They did. On the president’s orders. He has drawn down a war that could go on for ever if we wanted it to. He did save the auto industry and while I HATE unions, yes you read that right, I am a strong believer in domestic manufacturing. Come to my state of RI and I’ll show you what it’s loss has done for this state. People who dont like TALF or TARP, get over it. They made a call, and that’s that. It’s actually been profitable with the warrants. Don’t believe me? Look it up.
Like I said, he needs to create a better business environment, lower taxes and allow us to get this country rolling again. But facts are facts no matter how one wants to spin em.
Posted by: Keith | January 3, 2012, 5:12 pm 5:12 pm