My Caucus Eperience: 

Last week, Alexis Perlmutter and I took some time off and went to Colorado to witness the Colorado Democratic Primary Caucus.  Alexis, a Colorado native, is the political director for Grassroots Democrats.  For Alexis this was her first time participating and voting in the Colorado Caucus.  For me, it was my first time playing witness to the caucus process.

Our trip started on Super Tuesday.  We traveled to the state party headquarters first thing in the morning to volunteer a hand.  While I shook off the cold, Alexis was escorted around the office by a series of state party staff that she was familiar with from working on various campaigns around Colorado.  After meeting almost everyone in the office (a staff of about 10 people plus a hand full of volunteers), and after checking some email, I was put to work on the order of the day – the caucus.  What was needed most was answering the phones.  From the time we arrived to when we left the phones never stopped ringing.  Sitting at one of the computers with the Voter File loaded I answered my first call.

My Caucus Experience:

When I told my friends I was “going to caucus” on Tuesday I assumed everyone would clap their hands and pat me on the back.  Instead of adulation, my statement was met with confusion and curiosity. They asked me “What is a caucus?” or “How does it work?” Sadly, I didn’t know the answer.  It’s only after participating in my first caucus that I can fully explain the process and importance of it.

My coworker, Nathan, and I traveled to Colorado for "Super Tuesday" and to learn about and vote in the Colorado Democratic Caucus (only I voted, Nathan is not registered in Colorado).  While we were there we spent time volunteering with the Colorado Democratic Party (CDP), by answering phones and filling in wherever needed at the party headquarters.  Needless to say, I was stumped when a caller posed the difficult question of “What is a caucus”.  After asking around, I was told that a caucus is most easily described as a “community meeting where members of the party gather to coordinate actions, choose group policy, or nominate candidates for various offices.”  This short definition was sufficient enough to get me through the following 5 hours of non-stop phone inquiries.  However, I was still confused about HOW the caucus worked.