This will help those who are not sure what a caucus is and how it works.



Some questions and answers about the Iowa caucuses this Thursday:

Q: What is a caucus?

A: A party meeting at the precinct level at which citizens express their candidate preferences and pick delegates to their county conventions. It's the lowest level of party politics -- the real grassroots. These meetings, held in each of the state's nearly 1,800 precincts, typically draw anywhere from a handful of people in rural areas to hundreds in suburban areas


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I'll just be glad when it's over. I've never seen so many leads change since following politics.

On to NH and the battle begins again. The media darlings did not win, so they will try again to push Clinton and Mitt.

Hi,

I'm not too familiar with us politics and the election process, I just started to follow things.

Could someone explain what's the difference between caucus and primary?

Iowa had a caucus. Does it mean it won't have primary?

Thanks

Hello dtommy79. Welcome.

In the U.S.:

A caucus is a private meeting of members of a political party to plan action or to select delegates for a nominating convention.

A primary is an election held to nominate a candidate for a particular party at a forthcoming election for public office.

That's the short version.

Tumbleweed wrote:Hello dtommy79. Welcome.

In the U.S.:

A caucus is a private meeting of members of a political party to plan action or to select delegates for a nominating convention.

A primary is an election held to nominate a candidate for a particular party at a forthcoming election for public office.

That's the short version.

Hi,

Thanks.

So at the National party convention the candidate who won the most state during the primary will be selected to run for presidency?

Am I right?

Hi dtommy, and welcome! To be perfectly honest, I don't really understand the process very well either. I'm following along with you guys hoping to learn something.

By the time the convention rolls around it's usually clear who will be nominated as a result of the delegates won in the primary process.

At each convention, after a credentials committee seats the delegates, a permanent chairman is elected. The convention then votes on a platform, drawn up by the platform committee.

By the third or fourth day, presidential nominations begin. The chairman calls the roll of states alphabetically. A state may place a candidate in nomination or yield to another state.

Voting proceeds again by an alphabetical roll call of the states after all nominations have been made and seconded. A simple majority is required in each party, although this may involve many ballots. The process of awarding the delegates is quite complicated. In most cases, delegates cast their vote for the candidate that their state voted for in their primary, but they are not required to. The candidate who has majority support amongst the delegates at the national convention wins the party's backing for the presidential nomination.

The real decider of the nimonee is usually the "super delegates" these are party appointed, special interests etc.

Hi,

I heard that, for example, in Washington state both primary and caucus are held. What's the point of having both?

For selection of the nominee both Repubs and Dems hold a Caucus in Washington. I am not in Washington, but they may hold a primary for local and state elections.