For most Americans (me included) the presidential election process can be very confusing. You’ve probably heard about the Iowa Caucus on Monday but just went on with your day wondering why people suddenly seemed to care about Iowa or who the heck came up with the word caucus. However, if you are at all interested in learning what it means (and you should be) here is a breakdown of what caucuses and primaries are and what they mean for the general presidential election.
Simply put, a caucus is a public, pre-election within 13 of the 50 states. Voters will get together by county and physically show their support for a specific candidate by choosing the corner of the room that represents their candidate. This often, especially for the Democrats, involves a lot of debate and argument among voters in hopes that they will be able to sway others to switch candidates. At the end of the caucus, the number of people standing in each corner is added up.
The more popular a candidate is at the end of a caucus the more delegate votes s/he is likely to receive at the national convention. A delegate is a state representative of the party. These delegates are the ones who help decide the nominee for their parties.
One important thing to remember about the Iowa caucus is that it isn’t an actual election. What happens in Iowa does not determine who will become president or who will even get the party nomination. Caucuses and primaries are only to give an idea of which candidate voters are leaning towards in each state. In fact, according to Wikipedia, the Iowa caucuses have had a 43% and 50% success rate at predicting which Democratic and Republican (respectively) candidate will go on to win the nomination of their political party. And with a very divided Iowa after this year’s caucus, the results from Monday are even less informative about who has the best chance. The Iowa caucus is just the first caucus of the year; therefore, it is the kickoff party for the election season.
As I mentioned before, only 13 states hold caucuses which means the other 37 states hold primaries. While caucuses are public displays of support, primaries are held like general elections in which you come and cast an anonymous ballot. These, like caucuses, can be either open or closed which determines who can participate. Closed primaries, like Iowa’s closed caucus, are for registered party members only where as open primaries are for everyone.
At the end of all this, the delegates from each state will head to their party’s National Convention. The Republicans and Democrats each hold their own separate convention every presidential election. The delegates for each party, as well as any regular voters, will come together, and it is here that the delegates will vote and the parties will announce the official nominee.
If you are still confused or want an even simpler breakdown of caucuses and primaries, watch this 5-minute video.