VOTER GUIDE for 2008 Iowa Caucuses
Researched/edited by the Students of POSC 270 at Simpson College
IN THIS GUIDE:
How to Register to Vote & Research the Candidates
History & “How To” Guide for the Iowa Caucuses Non-Partisan “Fact Sheets” for 9 Key Policy Issues
* Education [K-12] * Education [College] * Energy * Health Care * Immigration * Religion & Politics * Taxes & the Budget * Terrorism * War in Iraq
“Issue Grids” of DEM/REP Candidates’ Positions
This full VOTER GUIDE is available ONLINE at http://iowafactcheck.blogspot.com You can also see Simpson students “fact check” the 2008 candidates’ claims there. For any questions, contact Kedron Bardwell at kedron.bardwell@simpson.edu
How to Register to Vote in the State of Iowa
Register to Vote
(1) Register in Person -Office of the County Auditor -Driver’s License Stations -Public Assistance Agencies OR (2) Pick up and Mail a Registration Form -Office of the County Auditor -Office of the Iowa Secretary of State -Public Libraries -Political Party Offices OR (3) Print and Mail a Registration Form - http://sos.state.ia.us/pdfs/elections/voteapp.pdf OR (4) Show Up at the Caucus to Register & Vote
- Contact the state Democratic or Republican Party for caucus locations (see p. 6 of guide).
For other questions, see http://www.sos.state.ia.us/elections/index.html or contact Warren County Auditor Traci VanderLinden at (515) 961-1020.
How to Research the 2008 Candidates
Q: What are the records and positions of the candidates? A: Project Vote Smart - http://www.Vote-Smart.org
Vote Smart is a non-partisan group giving “access to abundant, accurate and relevant information about those who govern and those who wish to replace those who do.” It does not receive funding from corporations, PACs or any other organization that support or oppose candidates or issues. It is a “one stop shop“ with daily updates and information on:
- campaign funding - candidate statements - candidates’ issue positions - candidates’ voting records
An easy way to view candidates’ positions on issues is to click on the National Political Awareness Test (NPAT) on the left side bar!
Q: Are presidential candidates telling the whole truth? A: Fact Check - http://www.FactCheck.org
This non-partisan web site monitors the accuracy of candidates’ statements on the campaign trail using investigative journalism and good scholarship. Their goal is to help citizens hold politicians accountable for their claims in interviews, debates, public events, news releases, and TV advertisements. Sponsored by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (Univ. of Pennsylvania).
Q: Who is funding the 2008 presidential candidates? A: Open Secrets - http://www.OpenSecrets.org
This non-partisan web site monitors campaign funding in U.S. politics. If you’re interested in who’s giving and who’s getting campaign cash in the race for the White House, take a look and explore this informative web site.
Q: Can I take a quiz to find a candidate “match”?
http://selectsmart.com/president/2008.html http://vajoe.com/candidate_calculator.html
Iowa Caucus Q & A
Q: What is a caucus? A: A caucus is a meeting of members of the same political party in a local precinct. It takes place for the purpose of selecting presidential nominees, and to discuss party business. Iowa’s caucuses will be January 3rd, 2008. Q: What is the purpose of a caucus? A: It is the start of a long process on the road to finding the next president. Each political party selects a candidate to represent them in the general election. Parties hold caucuses or direct primaries to decide their nominee. Technically, the candidates are competing for “delegates.” The delegates are individuals who pledge to support a candidate’s nomination at the next level of the party convention process. After a precinct calculates the number of delegates that each candidate receives, the delegates move up to the County Convention. County delegates pick delegates to go on to District Convention, where a similar process occurs to pick delegates to the State Convention. At the State Convention, delegates are chosen for the National Party Convention. Here the parties officially cast delegates and select a presidential nominee. The convention is rarely suspenseful, as the candidate who won a majority of delegates is known. Q: How are votes for presidential candidates cast at a caucus? A: While the purposes are the same, Democrats and Republicans have different processes for casting votes and then deciding how many delegates each candidate receives in each precinct. Democratic Caucus Individuals “vote” by publicly declaring their candidate preference. They do this by forming “preference groups,” usually in designated areas of a room. Supporters of a candidate must receive at least 15% of the total votes in that precinct to earn delegates to send to the next level up (the county convention). If a candidate receives less than 15% initially, members in these “non-viable” groups have three options: they can (1) join a viable group, (2) join with a non-viable group to make it viable, or (3) form an “uncommitted” group. Individuals try to persuade neighbors to join their group. This all takes about 30 minutes. After the shuffling is done, Democrats use a formula called “caucus math” to calculate how many delegates each viable candidate will receive (see below). # of members in x total # of delegates preference group to be elected = # of delegates Total # of participants to a candidate [Round up at .5 and higher; Round down if less than .5] Republican Caucus A straw poll is featured in Republican precincts. A one time secret ballot or count of hands for an individual’s favored candidate is taken. Precinct officials tabulate and report the results to the state party. The candidate with the most votes wins the Iowa Republican Caucus.
Q: What is the history of the caucus? A: The Iowa caucus emerged from the tradition of neighborhood meetings usually held in living rooms across the state. Some historians have stated that Iowa has held these types of caucus meetings since the early 1800s, even before Iowa was officially a state. The powerful influence the first caucus holds now wasn’t seen until 1972. That year the Iowa Democratic Party moved its caucus date forward to January 24th, ahead of the New Hampshire primary election. Due to the increasing interest and participation of Iowans and its first-in-the-nation status, Iowa gained the attention of presidential candidates and reporters. For example, in 1972 then U.S. Senator George McGovern (D – SD) successfully used the caucuses to increase media attention on his campaign. This contributed to the importance of the Iowa caucuses and it has since grown into a national media event. The Republican Party of Iowa noticed the popularity and attention Iowa was receiving and decided to move their caucus to the same day. This is the system we have today. Living room meetings are still held in some sparsely-populated rural areas, but most caucuses are in school gyms, auditoriums and other public buildings in the 1,784 precincts. Q: When is the caucus? A: For both Democrats and Republicans, the caucuses will be Thursday, January 3rd, 2008. Q: Where do I go to participate in the caucus? A: To find caucus locations in your district, call the Iowa Democratic Party at 515-244-7292 (on the web at iowademocrats.org) or the Republican Party of Iowa at 515-282-8105 (iowagop.net) Q: Who can participate in the caucus? A: Any registered Democrat or Republican voter which can present proof of Iowa residency can vote in the Iowa caucuses. In addition, any 17-year-old resident who will be 18 years old by the November general election can also participate. Individuals can register “on site” caucus night.
Sources for More Information Iowa Department of Economic Development. 2007. “Iowa Caucus 2008: First in the Nation.” http://www.iowacaucus.org/iacaucus.html Yepsen, David. 2007. “Caucus History.” Des Moines Register, November 30, 2007.
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/NEWS09/70523032/-1/caucus
Iowa Secretary of State. 2007. “2008 Iowa Student Caucus – Teacher Curriculum.” http://www.sos.state.ia.us/pdfs/studentyouth/teachcurric.pdf State Historical Society of Iowa. “Caucus Iowa” exhibit. * This caucus exhibit is open through January 2008 and is located on the 1 floor * State Historical Building, 600 East Locust, Des Moines Open: Monday-Saturday, 9am-4:30pm, Sunday, noon-4:30pm Call (515) 281-5111 for more information on the exhibit.
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