Caucus 101:
The who, what, where and when
for Thursday’s Iowa Caucuses
After all the hype and all the wait, it’s finally almost here. The much-anticipated and much-awaited Iowa Caucuses will take place Thursday evening, Jan. 3.
But what exactly is a caucus? Who can go? Where is it at? And what do you do there?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you’re not alone.
But, you’re in luck. Here’s a primer for all those thinking of participating in the first in the nation Iowa Caucuses. Information here was provided by the Iowa Caucus 2008 Project.
What is a caucus?
The word caucus is a North American Indian word, thought to be of Algonquin origin, meaning a gathering of the ruling tribal chiefs. The modern definition describes caucuses as a process of political party members gathering to make policy decisions and to select candidates.
When are the caucuses?
The caucuses are held in Iowa every two years. The caucuses held in the off-presidential years are usually smaller and focus on the party platform. The caucuses that coincide with presidential elections are better attended and receive more media attention.
Who participates in the caucuses?
Any voter who is a registered Republican or Democrat, and can prove residency in Iowa, can participate in the caucus of their party.
How do caucuses work?
On caucus night, Iowans gather by party preference to elect delegates to the 99 county conventions. Presidential preference on the Republican side is done with a straw vote of those attending the caucus. This vote is sometimes done by a show of hands or by dividing themselves into groups according to candidate. In precincts that elect only 1 delegate they choose the delegate by majority vote and it must be a paper ballot. Democratic candidates must receive at least 15 percent of the votes in that precinct to move on to the county convention. If a candidate receives less than 15 percent of the votes, supporters of non-viable candidates have the option to join a viable candidate group, join another non-viable candidate group to become viable, join other groups to form an uncommitted group or chose to go nowhere and not be counted. Non-viable groups have up to 30 minutes to realign, if they fail to do so in that time, they can ask the for more time, which is voted on by the caucus as a whole. If the caucus refuses, re-alignment is done and delegates are awarded.
A “third party” may hold a convention to nominate one candidate for president and one for vice president as well. The results of this caucus activity on both the Democratic and Republican sides are not binding on the elected delegates, but the delegates usually feel obligated to follow the wishes expressed by the caucus-goers. Thus the initial caucus results provide a good barometer of the composition of Iowa’s national delegation.
Where are the caucuses located?
Iowans gather by party preference. The caucus location is determined by the County Chairs of each political party for all 1,784 precincts. The exact location is determined by the expected turn-out of each precinct and by availability.
In the Clear Lake area, caucus locations are as follows:
Democratic Party
Caucus Sites:
(Registration begins at 6 p.m., with the caucus starting at 6:30)
Clear Lake:
Clear Lake City Hall, 15 N 6th Street
Clear Lake Wards 1 and 2
Lake Twp / Lincoln Twp
Clear Lake Middle School – 1601 3rd Avenue N.
Clear Lake Ward 3
Clear Lake Twp / Grant Twp / Union Twp
Mason City:
Harding Elementary School – 1239 N Rhode Island Avenue
Mason City Ward 1 all precincts
Hoover Elementary School – 1123 8th Street NW
Mason City Ward 2 all precincts
Roosevelt Middle School – 1625 S Pennsylvania Ave.
Mason City Wards 3 and 4 all precincts
Falls Twp North / Lime Creek Twp / Mason Twp North
Falls Twp South (Rock Falls)
Mason Twp South / Owen Twp / Portland Twp South
Portland Twp North
Rockwell:
Rockwell Community Center – 114 3rd Street N.
Geneseo Twp / Bath Twp
Dougherty Twp
Thornton:
Thornton Public Library – 412 Main Street
Grimes Twp West (Meservey)
Grimes Twp East (Thornton)
Mt Vernon Twp / Pleasant Valley Twp
Republican Party Caucus Sites:
(Starting at 7 p.m.)
Clear Lake:
Clear Lake High School Cafeteria – 125 N 20th Street
Clear Lake – all wards
Clear Lake Twp / Grant Twp / Union Twp
Lake Twp / Lincoln Twp
Mason City:
Mason City High School Cafeteria – 29 South Illinois Ave.
Mason City – all wards and precincts
Falls Twp North / Lime Creek Twp / Mason Twp North
Falls Twp South (Rock Falls)
Mason Twp South / Owen Twp / Portland Twp South
Portland Twp North
Rockwell:
Rockwell High School Cafeteria – 210 2nd St N.
Dougherty Twp
Geneseo Twp / Bath Twp
Swaledale:
Swaledale City Hall – 402 Main Street
Mt Vernon Twp / Pleasant Valley Twp
Grimes Twp East (Thornton)
Grimes Twp West (Meservey)
