“What is a caucus and why is it so important?”
The Iowa caucuses took place this past Monday and it was all the media really covered. CNN constantly advertised it’s “around the clock” coverage of the caucuses. It’s clearly important, but why? Why is Iowa such a big deal?
If you’ve been following the 2016 presidential election (or if you own a television), you’ve probably heard a lot about the Iowa caucuses. If you’re new to this whole democracy and voting thing, like I am, you might not have any idea what it’s all about. That’s okay, though.
The first question you might have is: “what in the world is a caucus?” and you’re not alone. It’s a strange word that is only really used every four years. A caucus is basically a meeting to discuss which candidate is the most electable. A ballot is then cast and then later that night, the votes are counted and everyone analyzes the results. Let’s just say, winning is a very good thing for candidates. Why does it matter?
The easiest explanation I’ve come across is that it’s the first time we get to see what a group of American voters is thinking. It’s an informal method of pre-primary voting that has been hyped up since the ’70s. It’s the “make-or-break” moment of many campaigns.
It gives donors, voters, and candidates an opportunity to see how well their campaign is doing and whether their message is sticking with voters or not. When campaigns are losing funds and the results didn’t turn out in their favor, you start to see multiple candidates “suspend” their campaigns. Suspend is just a nicer word for terminate. So far, four presidential hopefuls have dropped out since the results were revealed.
Post-caucus dropouts for 2016 were: Gov. Mike Huckabee, Gov. Martin O’Malley, Sen. Rand Paul, and Sen. Rick Santorum. Better luck next time.
The lead up to the actual caucus is insane. The candidates practically live throughout the entire tiny state of Iowa and try to reach as many people as possible. They hold multiple rallies, run ads, and contact those who can vote. A large chunk of their campaign funding goes towards this. It’s a test-run for the real thing that will take place once each party selects their “nominee.”
How they work is rather difficult to understand. It isn’t a normal ballot with all the candidates listed on the same one.
What’s interesting is that, each party votes on a separate ballot. The Republican party operates the Republican ballots, and the Democratic party is in charge of the democratic results. The styles are different, as well.
The republicans seem to be organized and simple. You literally just take a ballot and vote for who you would vote for in an actual election. The democrats have public debates and stand with their fellow supporters. After all, a caucus is a discussion with fellow voters about who you believe is the best candidate.
Caucuses are weird and confusing; but in an election, they matter. Now that we don’t have to hear about the Iowa caucuses, we await the New Hampshire primary, taking place on Tues. Feb. 9.