Washington Democratic caucus
The WA Democratic party expects the precinct caucuses to be a zoo this year, both because of a trend in increased participation and because it'll play a significant role in choosing the Democratic candidate.
I encourage everyone to attend! (Well, you have to be a Washington-registered voter, or a Washington resident under 18 who expects to turn 18 and be eligible to vote by the November elections.) If you're a Republican, then you should attend the Republican caucus, which I know nothing about.
I also encourage y'all to help them go smoothly and be successful. To that end, here's my advice, based on a combination of my experience leading my precinct's caucus four years ago and being marginally in the loop for this year's planning...if you want to help them go smoothly, there are a variety of things you can do to help the Democratic precinct caucuses in WA:
Lastly, if you feel strongly about a candidate, spend some time preparing yourself to be able to explain to the crowd why you support that candidate. I was on the fence going in to my caucus in 2004, but the Dean folks got my vote because they could explain why they liked him.
I encourage everyone to attend! (Well, you have to be a Washington-registered voter, or a Washington resident under 18 who expects to turn 18 and be eligible to vote by the November elections.) If you're a Republican, then you should attend the Republican caucus, which I know nothing about.
I also encourage y'all to help them go smoothly and be successful. To that end, here's my advice, based on a combination of my experience leading my precinct's caucus four years ago and being marginally in the loop for this year's planning...if you want to help them go smoothly, there are a variety of things you can do to help the Democratic precinct caucuses in WA:
- Walk from home, if that's reasonable. Many of these places won't have enough parking.
- Show up 15 minutes early. Ask if they could use help getting people sign in or setting up tables. If they already have enough people, stay out of the way. :)
- Read the FAQ (and/or print it out and bring it along), not just for yourself, but so you can answer questions other people have.
- Each precinct will probably want 3+ people helping run things once sign-in is done
- precinct caucus chair (probably already chosen; it's your precinct PCO if there is one)
- a secretary (takes notes; it's particularly that they correctly record all the votes that happen since this is currently a tight race; may also help out with the magic packet that contains all of the important paperwork for the precinct, so the chair can focus on keeping the meeting moving along)
- someone to do the math on the tally sheet. If you think you might help out with the latter, bring a calculator.
- When delegates are actually selected (by secret ballot, if contested), each sub-caucus (one for Clinton, one for Obama...) will need a secretary to record vote counts and make sure delegates fill out the delegate certification form.
- Decide in advance whether you'll help when they ask for a donation to help pay the cost of renting the space where the caucus is held. Remember that they want your participation more than they want your money.
- Decide in advance whether you're interested in being a precinct delegate or alternate; if so, you'll probably need to be available April 5, as well as April 12 (King County) or 19th (other counties, but Thurston, Snohomish, and Pierce may change).
- Help clean up (tidy up, put chairs/tables away).
Lastly, if you feel strongly about a candidate, spend some time preparing yourself to be able to explain to the crowd why you support that candidate. I was on the fence going in to my caucus in 2004, but the Dean folks got my vote because they could explain why they liked him.