History

• Voters have not always had a voice in the nominating process. According to the League of Women Voters, Republican and Democratic party elites would select a presidential candidate at the party's national convention, away from public view. Since the mid-twentieth century, both parties have changed the nominating process to include a series of state primaries and caucuses, in which voters select delegates who have committed their support for a particular candidate. Each election year, Iowa holds the nation's first caucus.
  
  

Types

• On a single evening during an election year, the Republican and Democratic parties in a state meet in separate caucuses in each precinct. Some caucuses provide a secret ballot, while others require voters to raise their hands. In an open caucus, a registered voter can vote in any party's caucus. In a closed caucus, only registered party members may participate in a party's caucus. Semi-closed caucuses allow registered members and independent voters to vote in a party's caucus.
  
  

Function

• When voters participate in a caucus, they do not directly vote for a candidate. They select delegates who have committed their support for a particular candidate. Elected delegates attend their party's county, district and state conventions; delegates at the state convention select delegates to the party's national convention. The outcome of the state convention determines which candidate the state will support at the national convention. In most states a delegate is bound to vote for the candidate through several ballots or until released by the candidate.
  
  

Considerations

• According to the League of Women Voters, only 10 percent of eligible voters participate in caucuses. At a caucus, a voter may be required to publicly express her support for a candidate. Democrat participants tend to be more liberal and Republican participants more conservative than the average voter; therefore, candidates tend to focus on issues which appeal to partisan voters. States with early-season caucuses, such as Iowa, receive more attention from candidates than other states.
  
  

Significance

• Caucuses provide an opportunity for the general public to participate in the selection of a party nominee. According to ThisNation.com, the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucus provides a nationally visible testing ground for candidates among a cross-section of the American population. This event receives so much attention that its results alone can lead a candidate to withdraw from a campaign.