Explain the Iowa Caucus
The Iowa caucuses are held every two years, but the ones held during presidential election years have more participants. The caucuses have been the first step in the presidential candidate nominating process since 1972.
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Definition
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Caucuses are political processes which involve registered voters gathering to decide political policy and nominate candidates. In Iowa, caucus participants must be a registered Republican or Democrat and provide proof of residency.
Process
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Iowans gather by party affiliation on caucus night at public buildings, schools and homes in each of the state's 1,784 precincts to elect delegates to the state's 99 county conventions. Delegates to the county conventions vote for the candidate decided upon at their precinct's caucus. Each party's candidate is decided by the results of the county conventions.
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Differences
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Republican voters who attend a caucus participate in a straw vote to determine their precinct's nominee. The vote sometimes is conducted by a show of hands or by separating into groups based on candidate preference. The Democratic caucuses require that a candidate must receive at least 15 percent of the vote to move on to the county convention.
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References
- Photo Credit Iowa state contour with Capital City against blurred USA flag image by Stasys Eidiejus from Fotolia.com
