My Caucus Meeting Education

I mistakenly thought the purpose of the caucus was to settle the precinct on one candidate for each elected position. I thought this was how the precinct's delegates knew who to vote for at the party conventions, sort of like a tiny Electoral College. Instead, the purpose of the caucus is to just elect the delegates. To this end I did not consider the notion that a delegate might ignore the wishes of her caucus and vote her own "conscience".

I learned that you go to your caucus meeting to participate in nominating and electing delegates whom you stand a good chance of at least knowing well. Once the delegates are elected by a simple majority of those in attendance you magically know who your neighborhood's delegates are, then you know who you need to talk to about which candidate you want them to vote for at the convention.

Since everyone couldn't possibly go the the party's convention your delegates must "represent" your vote at these meetings. It takes a bit of faith, to be sure. However, if you don't participate in your precinct's caucus meeting you forfeit your opportunity to exercise your most basic democratic right in helping form your government. This is why the United States isn't a democracy, at least outside of the caucus meeting, it is a representative republic. Neither are your state and local governments true democracies, because there is always some degree of faith in representation present in their operation.

It is sad when we can't trust our government. I hope by my writing what I learned last night at my caucus meeting you will now have the tools you need to build a more representative and responsible government, a government you can be proud of.