by Jamie Inferrera

 2012 will undoubtedly prove to be a pivotal year in United States politics. While many Americans were jumpstarting their New Year’s resolutions, Iowa voters were at the polls only three days into the new year. This Midwestern state, whose voters comprise only approximately one percent of voting Americans, cast the first ballots to choose the Republican presidential nominee for the upcoming November election.
Iowa has long been the first state in the nation to caucus and they are proud of it. But this brings up an interesting perspective. What are the substantial differences between a caucus and a primary, and is one considered to be a better way to cast a vote? Working in politics, I’ve long wondered if the caucus system for average American voters is similar to the regular caucuses of our state and federal elected officials. During this process, legislators meet with their like-minded party colleagues to debate and discuss legislation that is scheduled to be voted on.
Participating in a caucus to vote for a presidential candidate can be time consuming. The process is also very quaint. For example, Iowa has 99 counties and 1,744 caucus locations. These places can range from a church, community center or in some of the more rural areas, a handful of people will gather in a private home. Voters caucus with fellow citizens of the same political party, just how elected officials caucus before voting on legislation.
Caucus voting also allows for onsite campaigning, which does not typically occur in primaries. Voters listen to a short speech by the candidate or a representative of a candidate (many times local party leaders). While in a primary, candidates or their representatives usually stand outside of local voting precincts as a final attempt to gain votes. Candidates have a more direct and uninterrupted attention at a caucus.
Voters in Iowa recently encountered the time-consuming component when they had to listen to nine different pitches during the recent Republican presidential caucus. Once the speeches are completed, voters write the name of their chosen candidate on a blank piece of paper. Often times, voters discuss the merits of the candidates amongst each other before casting their final vote. Votes are tallied by hand and then local political leaders announce the winner. That is a much different process than going to the voting booth and pressing a button to choose a candidate.
I was also interested in learning who is responsible for arranging and facilitating the caucus. My research dictated that statutory law varies by state, but in Iowa the caucus process is handled by the political parties. According to the Iowa State Code, once the delegates to county conventions of political parties and party committee members are elected, they must call for a caucus. The state party committees choose the date for the caucus, rather than the state legislature (as done in many primary states). The party chairs in the 99 Iowa counties are responsible for arranging the meeting locations. Therefore, the cost of voting lies on the state and local political party, not the taxpayers.
Overall, 13 states use the caucus method instead of holding a primary. It is often talked about in the media that early voting states, including Iowa and New Hampshire, essentially choose the party nominee before the bulk of the other states start voting in March or later. However, I personally find that to be quite the opposite. The first caucuses actually narrow the playing field and work to eliminate the candidates who are not suited to run a nationwide campaign. They choose more losers than winners, really. Since the first two caucuses of 2012, three candidates have already dropped out of the race: Bachmann, Cain and most recently, Huntsman.
There are many additional specifics to the caucus process that I was unable to cover here. As an outsider who has only voted in primary states, I view the caucuses as a pillar of the American political process. As an American super voter, I will be very interested to see the election process unfold during this pivotal year in American history.
A native Hammontonian, Jamie Inferrera currently works as the director of Communications for Pennsylvania State Representative Daryl Metcalfe.