Caucus Rumpus in Northeast
Having heard about the traffic jams near caucus sites, and anticipating big crowds, I decided to walk the 10 brisk blocks to my caucus location. My plan was to slip by all the people in their cars looking for a parking spot, get inside quickly, and find a good seat for the show. I had never caucused before and was excited for the experience. I found the building with no problem; a large middle school that took up a large block of the neighborhood. I slipped by all the cars looking for spots and began looking for an entrance to the building. I walked around the entire building and didn't find the entrance. It turns out that the "entrance" was an after hours side-door located on the opposite side of the buiding. There was almost no signage guiding potential voters to the correct entrance and I encountered many outside like myself who were trying to do their civic duty but just couldn't find the way in.
There was a huge line of people just inside the door that stretched down the hall. There was a lot of excitement coming from the people in line. Many were remarking on the high turnout and people generally seemed happy to be participating. After filing through the line for about 15 minutes we came up to one young man behind a table asking us which district we were in and then directing us to new lines specific to each district (there were two districts caucusing in the buidling). Again, signage really could have helped navigate the heard here.
Once in the correct line, I began chatting with the folks around me. Despite the inefficiency and lack of adequate direction, everyone was still in good spirits. As one guy walked by, he jokingly said, "This is the line to vote for Obama!" Many laughed at the bit of truth in his humor. At about 8:00 I got into the caucus room. Made my preference on a little square of unofficial paper and threw it in a cardboard box. The whole process of representing your preference for President seemed almost too informal. I was never asked to verify my district, my name wasn't checked off of a long list of registered voters. I just stepped up and filled out my informal ballot.
There were about 70 people who remained for the caucus. We were informed that the caucus could not start until everyone waiting in line had a chance to register. That took about 20 more minutes. The actual caucus did not start until 8:30. Our Chair called the caucus together. He seemed very young and had been voted in as Chair just last year. He was re-elected in to the position. He did not exhibit much leadership and had trouble keeping the 70 or so people organized and on track. As this was my first caucus, I was confused. I did not know how resolutions were supposed to be presented or how to interact. No one stopped to state the rules of how to engage in the caucus. In retrospect, I should have asked. It just seemed like a free for all, with no one in the drivers seat. Maybe that's what is supposed to happen. Grassroots democracy?? For this caucaser, it seemed chaotic.
Overall, while I'm glad I participated in the caucus, it does not seem like the best way to select candidates. I'm not looking for our political process to be efficient. Most of the time I don't think it should be. Our political process is about deliberating, debating, and making informed and intelligent decisions for the common good. However, it should have some degree of effective leadership and direction, from finding the enterance to the caucus location to the caucus itself.
Nick Deffley
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