Weathering the Caucuses: For Voters And Candidates, the Outlook Is Variable

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The Final Stretch Before the Iowa Caucuses

As hosts of the first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses, Iowans are known for taking politics seriously in election years. Whether it's debating issues over morning coffee or turning out to see a candidate up close, the people of Iowa revel in their unique role as early vetters of presidential candidates.

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There are also the folks who show up undecided. "Lotta people, I think, come to the caucus not committed because they know they're going to get more attention," says Neuzil, the Edwards supporter, who is also a Johnson County supervisor.

Perhaps this is politics as it should be -- filled with discussions, fraught with negotiations. Messy with the politics of personality and last-minute decisions.

"A loudmouth can have his or her day at the caucuses, particularly in the smaller ones," says Winebrenner, the caucuses expert.

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As the campaigns well know, those who've been to a caucus in the past are more likely to caucus this time around. The old-timers know the drill. They know they have to be in line at their precinct by 7 p.m. or they won't be able to get in. They know they have to stay at the caucus for however long it takes. One time, Chiodo says, this woman showed up at a precinct and said, "Where do I vote?"

The folks in charge told her it wasn't like voting, that she had to stick around for awhile. Caucusing is a process.

She said, " 'I got a cab outside, I gotta get home!' " And she turned around and left, Chiodo says.

The decision of a single person -- to leave, to alter her support -- has the potential to matter more within the Democratic caucuses. The Republicans simply hold a straw poll; people show up and write a name on a piece of paper, and the statewide results are counted and reported. End of story.

But the Democrats operate in a less intuitive fashion, divvying up a precinct's delegates proportionately based on the total number of people who show up at that location. The other strange part about the way the Democrats work is that each candidate must have at least 15 percent support among the people in the room to be considered "viable." If the candidates are not viable, they don't get counted. That's when the "realignment" phase comes in, in which people try to persuade supporters of nonviable candidates (as well as those who are uncommitted) to throw their support to one of the remaining candidates.

The mood of the caucuses is as varied as the neighborhoods in which they're situated. There are rural ones where only 30 people show up and things run quietly.

"If you've been on the same farm for 50 years, you know all the neighbors," says 76-year-old Barbara Kauzlarich, who usually runs her local caucus in southern Iowa's Appanoose County. Kauzlarich puts two people in charge of the details at her caucuses: "Bruce and his mother." Bruce does the math and his mom keeps track of paperwork. Afterward, folks visit.