Purpose of the Caucus Convention
You may be chosen as a delegate for one of the national conventions to select a U.S. presidential candidate. The decision about delegates is made at a caucus convention. About 10 percent of registered voters participate in the caucus convention of their state, according to the League of Women Voters.
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History
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In 1763, the word "caucus" first came into usage in Boston. The term was used to name a political club, which was called the Caucus or Caucus Club. Public discussions and the election of candidates for public office were the club's purposes. Since then, the term has come to mean--and now means--state meetings of political parties that are open only to registered voters of a particular political party. "Caucus" also can mean an organization of like-minded elected officials, such as the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus.
Function
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Representatives, more commonly known as delegates, are chosen in state caucus meetings to attend the national convention of their political party. Caucuses also meet at state conventions to choose their favorite candidate for governor or U.S. Congress through straw polls--in hopes their choices will influence the state's or district's voters. A state's board of elections can provide information about particular caucus schedules.
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Procedure
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Registered voters attending the caucus go to the group that supports their candidate. Undecided voters form a separate group. To conclude the caucus, party organizers count how many delegates each candidate has won. Convention delegates are classified as either "pledged" to a candidate or "unpledged" to vote for any candidate at the political party's national convention.
Democratic Delegates
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Using a proportional method, Democrats give each candidate their number of delegates based on their state caucus support or their primary election votes. For instance, in a state with 20 delegates, a candidate would receive 10 of those delegates if he received 50 percent of either the primary votes or state caucus support. Delegate numbers for each state are based in part on Census results.
Republican Delegates
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Each state's Republican Party uses either the proportional or "winner-take-all" method to choose delegates. Under the second method, the candidate with the most votes from a state's caucus or primary election receives all of that state's delegates at the national convention.
Four Levels
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State political organizations may choose to use caucuses or primaries to select delegates. When caucuses are chosen, they can begin at the precinct level then proceed to the county unit or Senate district convention, U.S. Congressional convention and finally the state convention. For example, the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party uses this system to decide its platform points and constitutions and to elect their leadership at each level as well as to choose delegates and alternates. Also in Minnesota, a caucus could mean the Republican caucus of the state's House of Representatives.
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References
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