Watching these Iowa caucuses,

[pnwmom]

I'm having PTSD.

What an ordeal, just to cast a party vote. They're great for healthy extraverts with plenty of time on their hands, who don't mind standing around for hours (or sitting on the floor), watching earnest volunteers struggling to understand murky rules, and having to justify their candidate choice to their neighbors or people they don't know.

They're not so great for people who would just like to go in and cast a ballot in privacy -- or who would prefer a mail-in or absentee ballot.

I'm feeling grateful to WA state's party leaders, who finally listened to voters and switched to a primary. There are 6 caucus states remaining, but they could decide to switch to primaries in the future.

[maynard]

1. Nevada is a caucus state...what a joke

Too time consuming. I did it once and I won't ever do it again. There needs to be a better way. I went to the precinct caucus. That was good because Hillary showed up outside and I got some great pictures. Again, too many people who did not know what they were doing because it is only done every 4 years. Time consuming. By default, I was able to go to the county caucus...on a different day. Too many people who did not know what they were doing. People were impatient and tried to take over. Only one vendor selling food. Line was long and they ran out of food. A lot of people left. People were passionate about their candidates and tempers flared. One whole day of my life that I was never going to get back. Time to go back to primaries. One person, one vote. done and recorded.

[pnwmom]

4. Yes! I only went to two caucuses over the years, and they were as you described.

It was run by volunteers who were winging it. There was some mistake made, according to the rules, and no one knew what to do.

And my candidate ended up qualifying for a delegate -- but none of his voters volunteered to be the person to go to the next level, an all-day meeting in the state Capitol. So someone who supported ANOTHER CANDIDATE volunteered to be a delegate for our guy, which felt kind of sketchy, but we didn't have a choice, because none of the actual voters wanted to do it. What a mess.

So over the years I didn't try it again till 2016. (In 2008 I didn't care because I liked both HRC and Obama. Whoever the caucuses chose was fine with me.)

Never again!

[Demsrule86]

8. You can early vote in Nevada.

[bdamomma]

2. It's kind of interesting

process but weird we still have primaries to go. But watching.

[The Genealogist]

3. I don't think I could do it right now

I am a big old introvert, and to boot, my panic disorder has returned with a vengeance over the last couple of weeks. I am glad I live in a state with a primary.

[efhmc]

5. Glad that Texas gave them up.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

6. That's why i'm glad Washington State is going with a primary finally

Caucuses require an investment of time many people do not have.

[H2O Man]

7. Recommended.

In the 1950s, the Saturday Evening Post did an article on my hometown. The author noted that "local" elections were decided by way of a caucus. Everyone came to the community center, and elected the mayor and councilmen when everyone was in agreement. The community had about 5-6,000 residents at that time.

The era of elections being decided this way in the public square are now ancient history. I'm not saying that one way is "better" or "worse." But ballots are best for elections today.

[Rebl2]

9. I wish

no state was allowed to have caucuses anymore.

[tiredtoo]

10. Well they may be obsolete and a waste of time but,

When talking to Michigan voters in an attempt to get them to absentee vote, available to all Michigan registered voters now. Many say they like to go to the polls, get a chance to see their neighbors etc.
It kind of looks like fun to me.

[pnwmom]

12. Going to a caucus is nothing like going to the poll for a regular vote.

I didn't mind when we had to cast a ballot in the general election at a polling place (though I don't miss it either.)

But I hated the caucuses. They were messy, confusing affairs run by volunteers trying to do their best with rules they were reading on the spot -- and our caucuses excluded many people who couldn't come for various reasons (no regular absentee ballot was possible) and they lasted for hours.

Last time we arrived 5 minutes before it was supposed to begin and they made us stand outside in our line for 40 minutes before they opened the doors. (People who arrived before we did had to wait outside even longer) What a waste.

[tinrobot]

11. How many people have the luxury of spending hours at the high school gym on a Monday?

Not many.

[MontanaMama]

14. Exactly.

The folks I saw being interviewed at the caucus were either retired or college age. The middle of the road demographic of working people with kids didn’t seem to be equally represented.

[PatrickforO]

13. Well, here's a quote from McClure, the IA party communications person.

From CNN: Iowa Democrats: Delay is "due to quality checks" 18 minutes ago.

Iowa Democratic Party Communications Director Mandy McClure said the delay in the results is "due to quality checks" and the party's decision to report three totals this year.

"Integrity of the results is paramount," McClure said.

Here's the full statement:

"The integrity of the results is paramount. We have experienced a delay in the results due to quality checks and the fact that the IDP is reporting out three data sets for the first time. What we know right now is that around 25% of precincts have reported, and early data indicates turnout is on pace for 2016."

A pundit on MSNBC said it looks like they are 'buying time'.

For what?

Why should they need to stall?

Because this delay is pretty pathetic.

[krissey]

15. I was saying the same to my son. No way I could go in that mess and cast a vote.

He is young, and is rejuvenating to him. Not so much for me. So many people are being deprived of a vote for various reasons. Bad all the way around. It is never ok to limit voting.

[pnwmom]

17. When we went in 2016, my husband immediately remarked on how many young men there were.

It's no accident that Bernie won 73% of the caucus vote.

Welcome to DU, krissey!

[krissey]

18. I agree. Thank you.

[dalton99a]

16. It is a dumb and unfair system

Get rid of it