Caucus Countdown

"Caucus night like the roots of our grassroots. It is the bottom floor of representative democracy."

The caucus is coming! The caucus is coming! No, I am not talking about the Iowa caucus, although this is coming also. I am talking about OUR caucus night. Super Tuesday! March 1st. And tickets are available. Just kidding - there are no tickets other than your address. And admission is free. The big benefit of coming is it allows everyone to have a VOICE is the process! However, if you decide to skip the caucus, you really lose any credibility to complain if you don't like how things turn out after election night.

Besides being important, it is also kind of fun. There is energy in the crowd. And an added plus is this - even though I have lived here for over 31 years, two years ago I had the chance to meet some folks I had not met before. It really is a meet and greet as well as being part of our election process! 

If you have never been to a caucus, I strongly encourage you to come this year. If you don't know which precinct you are in, there are many ways to find out. You can call your city hall, or go on the Secretary of State web site. Or many of the political websites have shortcuts which can tell you not only your precinct, but house district, senate district, congressional district and so on.

During the caucus event, there will be straw votes cast for candidates. And this year, the vote on March 1st will be binding. In addition, there will be voting who will be delegates or alternates to the local BPOU (senate district) endorsing convention. This is a short cycle this year, so the endorsing convention will take place shortly after the caucus - usually on a Saturday. At the BPOU endorsing convention, delegates and alternates will be voted on to represent the BPOU at the congressional district and state endorsing convention. Like I said, this year the time table is compressed so much has to happen between the March 1st caucus night and the May State Convention.

What to do? In the month leading up to the caucus, become as informed as possible. First off, if you don't know already, learn who your current representatives are. They work for your, so knowing who they are is very important. And it is not just your congressman or senators at the federal level. Know your representative and senators at the state level. Also, know which school district you are in and who your representative is. Which district in the county you are in and who your county commissioner is.

This is it folks. This is a presidential year. The stakes could not be higher. This is a party in which all are invited. Join the fun. Join the process. The countdown has now begun in earnest.