ColorsNW Magazine - Caucuses and Primaries/title> <meta http-equiv="content-language" content="en-us"> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <meta http-equiv="imagetoolbar" content="no"> <meta http-equiv="pragma" content="no-cache"> <meta name="description" content="ColorsNW Magazine - multi-cultural magazine from Seattle Washington"> <meta name="Keywords" content="colors, nw, northwest, magazine, multi-cultural, colorsnw, obama, clinton, race, diversity"> <meta name="mssmarttagspreventparsing" content="true"> <meta name="robots" content="all"> <style media="screen" type="text/css"> body{ background:#fff; color:#000; font-size:12px; font-family:verdana,geneva,sans-serif; margin:0; padding:0; } a, a:visited{ color:#f00; text-decoration:none } a:hover{ text-decoration:underline } a img, table{ border:0px none; } h3{ font-size:14px; } .ten{ font-size:10px; } span.MsoCommentReference {} </style> </head> <body>  <table bgcolor="#b7ae69" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tr> <td valign="top" width="170" height="73"><a href="index.html"> <img src="http://www.colorsnw.com/images/logo.gif" alt="ColorsNW Magazine" width="170" height="73"></a></td> <td align="left" width="100%" height="73"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tr> <td><img src="http://www.colorsnw.com/images/menu_bg.gif" alt width="446" height="37"></td> <td>  </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" width="100%" height="17"><a href="index.html"> <img src="http://www.colorsnw.com/images/menu_home.gif" alt="Home" width="94" height="17"></a><a href="locations.html"><img src="http://www.colorsnw.com/images/menu_locations.gif" width="86" height="17" alt="Magazine Locations"></a><a href="advertise.html"><img src="http://www.colorsnw.com/images/menu_advertise.gif" alt="Advertise With Us" width="86" height="17"></a><a href="subscribe.html"><img src="http://www.colorsnw.com/images/menu_subscribe.gif" alt="Subscribe to Colors NW" width="86" height="17"></a><a href="contactus.html"><img src="http://www.colorsnw.com/images/menu_contactus.gif" alt="Contact Us" width="94" height="17"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" bgcolor="#be6a24" colspan="2" width="100%" height="19" style="font-size:10px;color:#fff;"> Celebrating our Similarities. Understanding our Differences.</td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table>   <table width="760" cellspacing="5" cellpadding="15" style="font-size:12px;margin-top:20px;"> <tr> <td width="213" valign="top" align="right"><b>Table of Contents</b> <p> <a href="editors_note.html">Editor's Note</a></p> <p><font size="1">Cover Story</font></p> <p><a href="taste_buds.html">Taste Buds</a></p> <p><a href="events_calendar.html">Events Calendar</a><p><b> </b> <p></p> <p></p> <p><b>TO PARTICIPATE</b> <p>For your precinct and <br> legislative dsctrict, visit our <a href="http://www.colorsnw.com/election"><b>ELECTION PAGE</b></a>. </p> <p> <p> <p><b><a href="http://colorsnw.wordpress.com/2008/01/06/tell-us-what-you-think-add-your-comment-here/"><font size="2">What do you think?</font></a></b><br> Share thoughts now </td> <td width="472" valign="top"> <p> </p> <b><a name="toppage">RESOURCES</a> - Understanding Caucuses and Primaries </b> <p><i>JANUARY 2008</i><br> <br> By Nicole Kidder</p> <p>© <i>Copyright 2008 ColorsNW Magazine</i><br> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana">Your State Caucuses and Primaries</span></b></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2"><i>How to understand and participate in the process</i></font></p> <hr> <p><img src="http://www.colorsnw.com/images/vote.jpg" alt="" height="93" width="181" align="left" border="0" hspace="10">Iowa’s Jan. 3 caucus date marks the beginning of the race between eight Democratic and nine Republican candidates to win nominations for the 2008 presidential elections. Since 1972, the Iowa caucus has been the first major event of the presidential electoral season for both party tickets. <br> </p> <p>The Iowa contest and caucuses and primaries in other states – which are not held on the same day, but are staggered from January to June – are monumentally important events in the election cycle. Yet few voters understand these processes or understand their importance. As Americans gather to nominate a candidate for the country’s highest office, the convoluted caucus and primary systems, meant to empower citizens, also can leave them feeling lost and unimportant in the voting process. <br> </p> <p>Simply put, caucuses and primaries allow voters to have a big say in the selection of their party’s presidential nominee. In these contests, each state legislature can decide what system to use and each state party determines the date of the primary or caucus. Then, voters actually pick delegates, or representatives, to send to the party’s national convention, usually held in the summer or fall before the election. These delegates then vote for the presidential nominees.<br> </p> <p>A caucus is a meeting of registered voters of a party and is held at the county level in different areas. Often, several precincts assemble in a single venue, such as a local school, church, town hall, fire station or even a private home. Voters are grouped according to the candidate they support and engage in discussion that can last for hours; and in some states, they can woo the group that’s undecided. <br> </p> <p>A primary is a private poll, similar to a general election, where voters cast votes in favor of candidates through paper ballots or voting machines, either in person or by mail. Primaries can be open or closed, and differ from state to state.<br> </p> <p>Though caucuses are much more participatory than primaries, they are less inclusive, since only those whose schedules and abilities permit can participate. In addition to the Jan. 3 Iowa caucus this year, the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 8 is the next significant event of the presidential nomination process.<br> </p> <p>Democratic and Republican candidates shower both these states – with a combined population of about 4.3 million mostly white voters – with lavish attention and ad money because they have the distinction of being the first-in-the-nation caucus and primary. In a bid to be declared the “winner” by campaign managers and national media – and thereby gain voter attention – the candidates flood the local advertising market with millions of dollars. Up until December , the top six Democratic and GOP candidates combined have aired more than $13 million in television ads in Iowa, compared with $2.3 million in 2003 , according to CNN online.<br> </p> <p>In Washington state, voters can play a significant role in this process by first understanding, and then participating in their precinct caucus on Feb. 9, and then by casting a vote in the statewide presidential primary election on Feb. 19. <br> </p> <p>Held just 10 days apart, these contests help candidates generate Washington’s support in their bid for the presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) and Republican National Convention (RNC) in the fall. The caucuses and primary provide an important means for Washington’s citizens to plant their feet in the election cycle. This form of civic participation wears down the stigma that only elected delegates determine the winning candidate. <br> </p> <p>Although Iowa and New Hampshire are often credited with determining the course of the entire race, these states have had mixed results in predicting the final outcome. For example, only two candidates who were picked in Iowa and were not incumbents went on to win the presidency. <br> </p> <p>However, the results of these party caucuses and state primaries as a whole are influential because they often determine who remains in the race and can catapult a relatively dark-horse candidate to national prominence. In addition, they provide insight into who potentially may win each party’s nomination. <br> </p> <p>While both Democrats and Republicans participate in caucuses and primaries, the similarities between the systems end there. The process gets muddled because each party is allowed to set its own guidelines for electing its state delegates. Since political parties are private groups, they are not required to accept the results of government-sponsored primaries. <br> <br> <b>ABOUT CAUCUSES</b><br> Caucuses are one of the oldest methods for choosing delegates and the alternative to the primary system. Heavily favored by the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the long-standing process is now only used in 14 states (including Washington) and in Washington, D.C. <br> </p> <p>Defined as a “gathering of neighbors,” precinct caucuses are open to all citizens who will be of voting age by the general election. While the caucus setup theoretically puts politics back in the personal realm by allowing public participation, discussion and debate, the system has been criticized for being too exclusive of all voters, compared to the primary election which has open participation. However, some argue that the caucus setup allows the most committed, aware voters to come forward with insight. <br> </p> <p>In a column in Spokane’s Spokesman-Review newspaper, Richard S. Davis writes “caucuses attract the most committed and well-informed party members, precisely the folks who should determine the party’s nominee. For those who’ve not participated in them: Don’t be misled. Each political party embraces enough diversity of opinion to create a delightfully raucous caucus.”<br> </p> <p>During the caucus, citizens have an opportunity to deliberate the merits of each candidate. After a round of debates, a final head count is tallied and any presidential candidate who receives at least 15 percent of the total caucus votes will be proportionally awarded precinct delegates. Because the DNC prohibits a winner-takes-all system, more than one Democratic candidate may be awarded delegates. <br> </p> <p>At this time, delegates will also be elected to represent their precinct’s votes at the Legislative District Caucuses on April 5 and the County Conventions on April 19. As a result, when Washington citizens cast a vote for a presidential candidate at the precinct caucuses, they will actually be casting a vote for a state delegate. <br> </p> <p>While the U.S. president is not technically chosen by the popular vote under this system, the results of the caucuses do play a major role because they determine the allocation of delegates who will support a particular presidential candidate. Both Democratic and Republican caucus delegates are officially unpledged, which means they have freedom in how they choose to vote. However, it is rare that the community’s choice is disregarded. <br> </p> <p>Both parties will also choose superdelegates from within the party, who will automatically advance to their respective national conventions. These superdelegates typically include all members of Congress, governors, political party members and other statesmen. While super delegates’ votes are also unpledged, they may publicly endorse a candidate. <br> </p> <p>Under the current system, Washington state Democrats are allotted 97 delegates to send to their national convention, which comprise 80 caucus delegates and 17 superdelegates. <br> </p> <p>Washington state Republicans are allotted 40 delegates, which comprise 18 caucus delegates and 3 superdelegates. Rather than relying solely on the caucus system, state Republicans have also chosen to send an additional 19 delegates to the RNC, based on the results from the primary election. <br> <br> <b>ABOUT PRIMARIES</b><br> Until 1989, Washington was a caucus-only state. Fed up with unexpected election results, 200,000 Washington residents signed an initiative to the legislature proposing a more democratic system – a Washington primary election. Voters deemed the caucus-only process to be discriminatory against the elderly, the infirm, women, the disabled, evening and weekend workers and others who are unable to attend the lengthy caucus meetings.<br> </p> <p>The state Legislature responded by implementing a state-sponsored presidential primary election in which citizens can cast their votes at polling stations or by mail. Since then, participation in the process has shot up – more than 1.3 million Washington voters participated in the 2000 presidential primary, while only 60,000 residents voted in the caucuses.<br> </p> <p>Despite this, Washington’s Democratic leaders have once again decided that the Feb. 19 vote will not have any legal significance in deciding how the party selects its delegates. Because DNC rules require state parties to choose between the caucus and primary systems, state Democrats have elected to stick with the caucus system. However, while caucus delegates and superdelegates are not bound to the public vote, the majority do take note of what their districts have to say. <br> </p> <p>Like the caucus system, a vote cast in the public election for a presidential candidate is actually a vote cast for a primary delegate, who are pledged – or bound – to the popular vote of their legislative districts. These pledged votes, combined with the unpledged caucus delegates and the public endorsements by superdelegates, provide a fairly clear picture of how Washington state’s delegates are likely to cast their final vote at the national conventions. <br> </p> <p>More than half of each party’s national convention delegates will be elected Feb. 5, the earliest date for state contests allowed by the DNC and RNC. Dubbed “Super Tuesday,” 20 states have aligned to simultaneously cast their votes for the presidential nominees Feb. 5. By adding caucus and primary results from additional states in the West and South, the results will also offer a more geographically, economically, politically and culturally diverse view of the country’s choice. <br> <br> <b>WASHINGTON’S SYSTEM</b> <br> Washington is the second-largest state on the West Coast, so candidates will shift their focus after Super Tuesday from the East Coast and Midwest to court Washington voters. In 2000, the four leading candidates – George Bush, Al Gore, John McCain and Bill Bradley – all spent significant amounts of time in the state addressing local issues such as the Snake River Dam, the Hanford nuclear waste facility and Washington’s role in international trade.<br> </p> <p>The merits of both the caucus and primary systems – and whether the state should abandon one in favor of another – have become central debates to Washington’s political voice. On Washington’s leftist political blog “WashBlog,” Greg Rodriguez, former Chair of the King County Democrats, explains that the caucus system has alienated many voters from both parties “because of the elitist and closed-door impression these futile attempts at democracy represent.” He argues that Washington should move towards a primary-only process to “enhance the image of inclusiveness for the parties as well as increase the potential for party recruitment.” By focusing on a system of party registration, the primary process will, Rodriguez explains, “allow voters to have a choice.”<br> <br> <b>2008 Presidential Primary FAQs from the Secretary of State<br> </b></p> <p><b>Q: What difference will my vote make in the Presidential Primary?<br> </b>A: Washington state is the second most populous state in the West. Every candidate for President seeks the prestige of winning a primary in a significant west coast state like Washington. National reports of Washington’s primary impact the standing of each candidate. In 2000, the four leading candidates for President campaigned hard in Washington State in hopes of capturing the momentum awarded the candidate who wins the Washington primary. Washington State primary winners George Bush and Al Gore campaigned aggressively in Washington State and went on to win their party’s nominations. By participating in the presidential primary, each Washington voter plays an important role in nominating candidates for the next President of the United States. <br> </p> <p><b>Q: What do I have to do to participate? <br> </b>A: Every registered voter may vote in the presidential primary. Depending on the county, just as in a regular primary, voters will either receive a consolidated ballot or separate party ballots. Each voter must sign a one party oath, which will appear in the poll book for those voting at the polls, or on the envelope for those voting by mail. <br> </p> <p><b>Q: Can I participate in both the primary and a caucus? <br> </b>A: Voters can participate in both the party caucuses and the presidential primary as long as they participate on behalf of the same party. Both major parties plan to hold their caucuses on Feb. 9, 10 days before the primary. The parties will invite voters to participate in the caucuses and will require participants to sign an oath declaring their party affiliation. Voters participating in the presidential primary will be asked to sign an oath submitted by the political parties indicating that the voter has not participated in the other party’s caucus process. Each party will receive a list of voters who chose to affiliate with that party in the primary. <br> </p> <p><b>Q: How will the political parties use the results of the primary?<br> </b>Political parties retain the authority to decide if they will use the Presidential Primary to allocate delegates to the national nominating conventions. The political parties may also use caucus results, or a combination of primary results and caucus results. <br> A: The Republican Party used the results of the primary to allocate all of the Washington delegates in 1992, half of its delegates in 1996, and one third of its delegates in 2000. The State Republican Party has decided that it will use the 2008 Presidential Primary to allocate 51 percent of its delegates. The remaining 49 percent of the delegates will be allocated based on caucus results. The Democratic Party has never used the results of the primary to allocate delegates. The State Democratic Party will only use caucuses to allocate delegates in 2008. <br> </p> <p><i>Meg Krugel and Nirmala Bhat contributed to this report.</i></p> <br> <p><b>How Washington Residents Elect the U.S. Presidential Nominees <br> </b></p> <p><b>February 9</b>, at 1 p.m., Democrats and Republicans will host precinct caucuses throughout the state to allow residents to cast an informal vote for their favorite candidate. Participants will also elect Democratic and Republican delegates in the thousands of precinct throughout Washington State. <br> </p> <p><b>February 19</b>, Washington State voters will participate in a presidential primary election. Democratic delegates are not bound by the results; 19 of the 37 Republican delegates will be determined by the results. <br> </p> <p><b>April 5</b> Democratic delegates will attend legislative district caucuses to elect 2,000 delegates to the congressional district caucuses and the state convention. <br> </p> <p><b>April 19</b>, all Washington Democratic and Republican delegates will participate in county conventions that will adopt party platforms and pass resolutions. Republican delegates will narrow down their delegates for the congressional district caucus and state convention. <br> </p> <p><b>May 17</b> the smaller group of Democratic and Republican delegates will participate in congressional district caucuses. <br> <br> <b>June 14</b> these delegates will also attend the state convention on in Spokane to nominate a slate of electors to the Electoral College. <br> • Delegates are again whittled down to 97 Democrats and 18 Republicans (unpledged). These remaining delegates will cast a vote for their State’s presidential nominee at either the Democratic National Convention, which will be held in Denver, from August 25-28, or the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis/St. Paul from September 1-4. <br> • These votes determine which candidate receives their party’s nomination. These votes also largely determine how many electoral votes each candidate will receive. <br> <br> <b>2008 Presidential Primary Election Timeline:</b><br> February 1: Absentee ballots mailed<br> February 4: Last day of in-person voter registration<br> February 9, 1 p.m.: Democratic and Republican Caucuses<br> February 18: Last day to apply for an absentee ballot<br> February 19, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.: State Presidential Primary<br> March 5: County Canvassing Board certifies primary results<br> April 5, 10 a.m.: Legislative District Caucuses<br> April 19, 9 a.m.: County Conventions<br> May 17, 10 a.m.: Congressional District Caucuses<br> June 14, 9 a.m.: State Convention, Spokane<br> <br> Visit our <a href="http://www.colorsnw.com/election">Election</a> site for more information.</p> <p></p> <p class="BodyType-ColorsNW" style="text-indent:0in"> </p> <div align="center" class="ten"> <p>© 2007 ColorsNW - All rights reserved.<br> Phone: 206/444-9251</p> <p>Powered by <a href="http://www.iseattle.com" target="_blank">iSeattle.com</a></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="213" valign="top" align="right"> </td> <td width="472" valign="top"> </td> </tr> </table>  <script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript"> _uacct = "UA-356484-1"; urchinTracker(); </script> </body> </html>