Who Caucus?

Up until about five years ago, we had primaries here in the State of Colorado. Then, in an attempt to shave some government spending, we converted to the caucus system.

I liked the primary system just fine. Since we allow early voting by anybody here in Boulder County, it meant studying the candidates at your own pace, and then heading down to the county courthouse at your convenience to cast a ballot. Or, waiting until election day, and going to your precinct polling place. In any case, for a primary there was never any wait. So, even though we adopted one of the slowest voting processes after the incompetents in Florida forced everybody in the country to abandon perfectly functioning voting systems, it was pretty quick.

But no longer. I haven't been to a caucus, so I don't really know how they work. But here's what I picture: The biggest loudmouths in the neighborhood gather and argue their points of view. I assume it's mostly the people with the most strongly held, and possibly extreme, points of view. The more reserved folks, if they bother to show up at all, probably just sit in the back of the room afraid to speak up. And anybody who has a life may not be able to make the time to give up a Tuesday evening anyway.

I'm not all that impressed with this whole primary/caucus season anyway. Folks in early voting states have a big say. But if you voted for one of the fringe candidates your vote may not even count, as your candidate may have dropped out before the convention. And later voting states don't even get the choice of many of the non-mainstream candidates. A month into the election season, and by the time I get a say my first, second, and third choices may have all dropped out. (Okay, I have a weakness for losers.)

Meanwhile, the media is going all kooky over the whole process. Mostly, I suppose, because of all the air time they have to fill, they are over analyzing to the point of ridiculousness and embarrassment.

But this is the process we have. And I need to keep an open mind. So, we decided to go to the caucus on Tuesday night. I'll give up or reschedule my swim practice. We looked up the location. (With elections, not only did the precinct maps and locations all get published in the paper, but you would get a postcard reminding you exactly when and where to go. Not so with caucuses.) And I'll write more here after I see how it goes.