Event Format and Rules

Iowa Syle Caucus

Event Format and Rules

  • Pre-caucus:
    •  On-line campaigning
      • After final salon the six current blogs will be consolidated into one General Caucus Blog page. This will concentrate activity and hopefully create a critical density of postings that will become self perpetuating
      • Members (Registered Voters or Observers) may post
        • comments explaining their support for a candidate
        • engage in an on-line debate on the merits of each candidate
        • to post supporting data on each candidate (e.g. latest polls, fundraising reports, news articles)
      • Guest commentators
        • Two or three people from Iowa will post brief  stories of their real life experiences in the Iowa caucuses
        • This will be a good substitute for having an Iowan acting as Caucus Chair
    • Off-line Organizing Activities
      • As people self identify as supporters of each candidate on the blog, they can then band together to conduct pre-caucus organizing
      • This would include strategies for campaign literature distribution at caucus, one on one campaigning (e.g. coordinating baked goods as bribes), and forming voting blocks to ensure that they can nominate the Preference Group spokesperson for each candidate (see below)
  • Participating in the Caucus
    • Registered Voters
      • Attended a minimum of two or more WWH08 candidate events
      • Alternatively, can demonstrate that they have seen and heard (live) at least two of the four candidates through a combination of WWH08 and regular campaign eevents.
    • Observers
      • Campaign Reps – max of 4 per campaign
      • Guests
        • max of 50 people
        • fear is that anymore will change participants into performers
      • Media (TBD)
  • Caucus Chair
    • A neutral third party that conducts caucus and calculates delegates
    • Invitations pending to Dean, Garimendi, Leno and Bowen
  • Caucus Format
    • 6 pm: Registration and Informal Campaigning
      • Attendees register as voters or observers and then enter caucus room
      • Informal campaigning activities allowed prior to caucus being convened (i.e. one on one conversations, distribution of baked goods and campaign literature, etc..)
    • 6:30 pm:  Caucus Called to Order
      • Chair convenes caucus and explains format and rules
      • Chair assigns room locations for each Preference Group (one for each candidate and one for undecided voters)
    • 6:40 pm: Initial Division - Registered Voters move to the location of their Preference Group
    • 6:45 pm: First Round Campaigning
      • Each Preference Group nominates one person to state the case for their candidate to the caucus for five minutes
      • 10 minutes is then allowed for individual campaigning
    • 7:15 pm:  Re-Division
      • Undecided is removed as a Preference Group
      • Chair re-divides room
      • Preference groups with less than 25% of total are removed from consideration from consideration
    • 7:20 pm: Second Round Campaigning
      • Each group nominates one person to state the case for their candidate for five minutes (with a focus on why their candidate should be most attractive to the disenfranchised groups)
      • 10 minutes is given for individual campaigning.
    • 7:40 pm: Final Division
      • Chair calls caucus back to order and re-divides room
      • Delegates for each preference group are calculated using caucus math
  • Caucus Math
    • Precinct will elect 5 delegates
    • Delegate Apportionment
      • Number of members within a viable preference group TIMES Number of total delegates that caucus elects
      • Sum divided by Total # Number of eligible caucus attendees
      • Round fractions up at .5