What is a caucus?
The two main US parties use
caucus meetings and
primary elections to select
a candidate to put forward
for the Presidential
Election.
Although a primary is an event at
which party members simply
show up and cast their votes, a
caucus is much more a political
rally than a voting procedure.
• Iowa's process for choosing between
presidential candidates is unique among the
fifty United States. Every other state has a
more traditional primary election in which
registered voters can cast their ballots for the
candidates they prefer.
• In Iowa, however, voters in each political party
attend separate, small meetings, or caucuses,
in towns and neighborhoods across the state.
Caucuses are held at the precinct level in
schools, fire stations and sometimes even in
individual's homes.
How do the Republican caucuses
work?
• Anyone registered with the party can attend
the caucus meetings, but only those eligible to
vote (i.e. over 18) can participate in the
caucus ballot.
• Where Are the Caucuses? All over the state.
There are 1,774 precincts in Iowa, meaning
1,774 churches, libraries and other buildings
where caucus-goers will converge Tuesday
starting at 7 p.m. central time.
• It's not just show up and vote. The caucuses are
part poll, part GOP meeting. And unlike in a
primary, supporters of particular candidates are
allowed to campaign on site. In fact, it's part of
the process. Before any votes are cast, supporters
and surrogates of the various campaigns are
permitted a few minutes to make the case for
their candidate. This process means it's in every
candidate's interest to have a speaker at all 1,774
caucus sites, as a way to sway uncommitted
Iowans at the last minute.
• After the speeches, those in attendance then
write down their choice on a piece of paper. The
results are counted, announced and fed to the
media.
What happens next …
• Tonight’s caucus meetings will select delegates
who will then go forward to Iowa’s county
conventions (99 of them) in March, at which the
Republican Party will choose delegates to go
forward to the state convention.
• Delegates who are selected through the state
selection process will meet at a Republican
National Convention to cast their votes in support
of their candidates which leads to the selection of
someone to run for the presidency.
How Important Is This Iowa Contest,
Anyway?
• Historically, Iowa does not have the best record
of picking winners, at least on the Republican
side. In the last five GOP primaries without an
incumbent, the winner of the Iowa caucuses
went on to win the nomination just two times - in
1996 and 2000.
• However, political analysts generally agree that
it's very important to place roughly in the top
three in Iowa. The only GOP nominee since 1972
who did not finish in the top three in Iowa was
John McCain in 2008.