In 2008, Republicans turned out in freezing temperatures to vote. How the Iowa caucuses work

Four years ago, 120,000 Iowa Republicans turned out in freezing temperatures to vote on their pick for a presidential nominee. The weather report and turnout predictions for next Tuesday’s caucuses are still somewhat in the air, but the campaigns’ organizing efforts are well under way as the attention of the political world turns to the Hawkeye State.

There will be the formality of a Democratic caucus too, but all the action is on the Republican side. As for those expected to attend, Iowa Republican caucusgoers tend to be wealthier and older than the average Iowan: In 2008, more than 60 percent of GOP caucusgoers’ earnings exceeded $50,000, and 73 percent were older than 45 at a time when Iowa’s median age was 38. Last cycle, almost all of them were white (97 percent) and close to three in four identified themselves as Protestant.


For those planning to go and those planning to keep close watch, here’s POLITICO’s guide to the Iowa caucuses:

Where to vote and when

The 2012 Republican presidential caucuses begin at 7:00 p.m. on Jan. 3. Iowa Republicans who wish to participate may locate their caucus site using the Iowa Secretary of State’s poll location tool. Republican caucuses for the state’s 1,774 precincts occur in public buildings, schools and homes, and some precincts share caucus space with other precincts. Every precinct in Adair County, for example, will caucus at Greenfield’s Nodaway Valley High School next Tuesday night.

Some GOP hopefuls, including Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann, provide online caucus guides. Bachmann, echoing guidance issued by state party officials, encourages caucusgoers to arrive at their precinct locations before 7:00 p.m.

Candidates do not, per the state GOP, need to “file, apply or pay a fee to be included in the [presidential] preference poll. It is a candidate’s responsibility to convince voters to write their name down on a ballot.”

Who’s eligible to vote

Only registered Republicans may participate, but voters can register at the caucus entrance with photo identification that proves Iowa residency and age. That opens the door to cross-over participation. In 2008, for example, independents comprised 13 percent of Republicans at party caucuses and 20 percent of Democrats.

“We’re expecting quite a few people who are either independents or more moderate Democrats to switch sides, at least for the night, and caucus with us,” Story County Republican Chairman Cory Adams said.

Rick Halvorsen, Warren County’s Republican chairman, expects “up to 10 percent” of each precinct’s attendees to be filling out registration forms on the night of the caucus. Iowa’s county auditors provide county parties voter lists updated through mid-November, “so if [caucusgoers] have registered at the county auditor’s office since that time, they won’t be on our sheet,” Halvorsen said.

Anyone who will be 18 on or before November 6, 2012, the date of the general election, may participate in the caucus.

What to expect on site

“We expect a crowd of people getting checked in, a kind of melee getting everybody in the door,” said Halvorsen, who plans to staff the larger of the county’s 25 precincts with up to 10 party volunteers.

Party organizers are hoping new participants will swell this year’s caucuses — Halvorsen plans to distribute 40 percent more presidential preference ballots this year than he did in 2008 — but attendees can still expect to recognize familiar faces in the crowd.

“You’re probably going to a precinct in your neighborhood,” Adams said, “and chances are you may not know someone but you’ll have seen them, and in that case it’s a good icebreaker. You can introduce yourself and say, ‘Hey, I live two houses down from you and I had no idea that you were a Republican.’”

Campaigns will work up to the vote to win caucusgoers and, unlike a state primary or general, Halvorsen said campaigns can place advertising materials inside the caucus location.

Before the vote itself, state party rules allow each campaign one “surrogate or volunteer” who may speak on behalf of the candidate for a few minutes before balloting begins.

How it works

Following simpler rules than Democrats, Republican caucusgoers each cast a single ballot for their preferred presidential candidate. At the close of balloting, a caucus official phones the tallies in to the state party. Results recorded report the percentage of ballots won by each candidate.

Republicans don’t have a viability threshold — a Democratic tradition where a candidate’s supporters must choose another campaign unless their preferred candidate has support from at least 15 percent of caucusgoers — which means a GOP caucus has just one round of balloting and no realignment toward second or third choices.

A Republican presidential preference poll could take just 30 minutes, after which Adams said “close to half” of caucus participants may leave, skipping the delegate selection that takes place in the event’s latter half.

Iowa Democrats hold caucuses the same night but, with President Obama seeking reelection, the party doesn’t expect viable alternative preference groups to form in many precincts across the state.

“There will be a period [during the caucus] when someone can say they want to split into a preference group,” said Sam Roecker, the state party’s communications director. “They would need 15 percent of the people in that precinct to want to break into preference groups. It definitely won’t be a common occurrence.”

How it will be covered

The state party welcomes media coverage of individual caucuses, though it asks reporters to contact county chairs or caucus coordinators “as a courtesy.”

Where to get more information

The Iowa GOP, charged with administering the caucuses, maintains process information on its website. The party also makes available a caucus mobile app for iOS and Android devices. Voters may use the app to identify their caucus location and receive information about caucus process and timing. The Des Moines Register also has posted a graphic on its website that helps to explain the caucus process.