How to caucus in Kansas
3:07 p.m. Monday, February 4, 2008
As voters, politicians and presidential hopefuls await Super Tuesday, 49 News prepares you for what tomorrow's Democratic Caucus will bring.
The Kansas Democratic Caucus is a statewide election, run by the Kansas Democrats. The results are used to determine the Kansas delegates for the Democratic National Convention in August, and how many delegates will support each candidate.
The Republicans will caucus Feb. 9 in Kansas.
You do have to be a registered Democrat to caucus, but there's a way around that.
If you're not currently registered as a Democrat, you can change your registration or register for the first time at the door.
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Don't know where to go to caucus? Well, now it's simple to find out. Log on to KSDP.org. There you can enter your zip code and address, and find your caucus location. If you have trouble finding the location, call the Kansas Democratic Party at (785) 234-0425.
After you're in, you can help determine caucus results through a two-step process.
Here's how it works: It starts with each participant making their candidate choice known. They can do this by moving to a corner of the room where one candidates supporters are gathered.
Political Analyst Dr. Loran Smith says it can get a little crazy, but that's all part of the process.
“In one sense it's messy and really, one of the things people forget is democracy, if done right, is messy. It doesn't look neat, okay? But it's one way you can actually get to have a say,” Smith said.
As long as it's not a landslide and each candidate gets support from at least 15 percent of those present, then both candidates are labeled what's called "viable."
It's all about the delegates, baby
The Kansas caucus will choose how many Kansas delegates will go to the Democratic National Convention. It's supposed to be a gauge of the Kansas delegation vote, but as CNN explains anything can happen. They breakdown the catch in a piece they are calling Delegates for Dummies.
Then, voters get one more opportunity to switch candidates. The caucus chair will ask for a final count for each candidate, and those results get reported to the state Democratic Party headquarters.
That's how the party determines the number of Kansas delegates that go to each candidate, to help decide who the party pick is for president.
Caucus doors open at 6 p.m., and you have to be in line by 7 to participate
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