Why the Caucus?

People new to Colorado soon come face to face with one of the great mysteries of our state: the Presidential Caucus. Why, they wonder, would anyone want to take two whole hours to vote for president, when in other states you can just color in some dots and mail in your ballot? Are we really that primitive?

The notion of a caucus is older than the hills, in fact older than the word "caucus," which comes from an Algonquin word meaning "gathering of chiefs". There have always been meetings of influential people in a community to make policy decisions or nominate candidates for public office. In the early days of presidential elections, caucuses were useful because of the difficulty of travel and communication. Candidates would arrive in a town, try to find the influential people there, and make their case. Then those people would gather, discuss their options, and take a vote. Anyone who had not met the candidates would know little about them and would be unlikely to vote.

In Iowa, it still happens exactly like this, with candidates showing up in diners since, apparently, that's where influential people in Iowa hang out. Of course, today they need a few extra tables for the TV cameras. So anyone who wants to vote, loiters at their local diner as the candidates parade by. Then they get together at an appointed time to discuss the spectacle with their neighbors and vote.

There has been a gradual movement away from Presidential Caucuses, toward the holding of Presidential Primary elections. Relative to a Primary system, the Caucus has some distinct pluses and minuses:

• Caucuses are, for many people, the only time they ever get together to have an adult discussion with strangers about anything important in their lives. It's the only 2-hour block of time they ever have, to focus on how the choice of president affects them. States that rely exclusively on presidential primaries don't have this.
• Primary Elections are convenient, and that's their main strength. With 5 minutes of thought, you can mark your ballot and mail it in. Of course, that's also the biggest weakness of Primary Elections, that people only give them 5 minutes of thought. Turnout is broad but shallow, the votes determined by the candidates' hairstyle and a few random sound bites.
• Caucuses bring people into political activism. Caucus states like Colorado and Iowa have political parties that are large, diverse, active, and fun. For many people, political parties are their only chance of getting involved in the running of their community. The Caucus is a big welcoming front door that gives everyone a chance to get involved. Primary election states still have caucuses to elect party leaders, but without a strong incentive such as a presidential contest, few people show up. These party organizations are often tiny inbred fiefdoms that are not very useful to their communities.
• Still, Primary Elections are much more inclusive in offering the right to vote. On Caucus night at 7pm, Safeway doesn't close down to give its employees the opportunity to vote. The gas stations and restaurants are still open. Voters who didn't think to change their party affiliation two months before, are out of luck. While our own county is very organized in helping people to find their caucus location and to know what to expect, many counties are not. Everything is organized by volunteers so the quality is variable.
• Organized by volunteers, Caucuses are cheaper. That was explicitly the reason the Colorado legislature abolished the Presidential Primary Election a few years ago: to save money.
• Primary elections are, in theory, more reliable. County Clerks have better vote-counting equipment than Caucus volunteers, they have systems of quality control and supervision set up, and they have the power of government to remove obstacles. On the other hand, Caucuses are more robust. Because they don't rely on technology they can tolerate greater extremes of weather and other unanticipated events. Because they depend on the behavior of thousands of ordinary humans, a small amount of random error is expected and tolerated. Voting machine scandals such as we experienced in 2000 and 2004, that shake the foundations of public confidence in elections, don't happen with caucuses.

My own view is that the movement away from Caucuses is encouraging the aspects of politics we like least, the simplistic sound bites and negative campaigning about irrelevant or personal matters. If we never have any opportunity to conduct a civil conversation, in person, with people we might disagree with, we lose our ability to recognize and reward such conversation. The caucus gives each person the chance to tell his or her own story, why the choice of president really matters to them, what difference it will make to themselves and their children. To tell this story, people need to take some time to think about what they will say. That introspective time is the most valuable time in all of politics.

Comments

[ohwilleke]

The caucus process may be cheaper but it isn't free, and political parties rather than the government fund these institutions for selecting government officials.

[Paul Thompson]

Right you are, ohwilleke. In our county, like most, the real cost of the caucus is the free time and in-kind donations made by the people organizing it. Definitely a labor of love.

[James O'Donnell]

I believe that the caucus system is outdated and prone to corruption. There are all sorts of blogs out there to get a wealth of political opinion.
This does not have the protections offered by a secret ballot. This system is wide open to intimidation tactics, reprisal, and even bribery.
A primary is more inclusive and boosts turnout.

[Tom]

"Caucuses are, for many people, the only time they ever get together to have an adult discussion with strangers about anything important"

And how is one to know that these strangers are wellsprings of wisdom about how one should vote? More likely, they are loudmouths who just want you to vote their way.

Somehow, I trust the democratic system (universal suffrage by secret ballot) a heck of a lot better.