Forget what you saw on television about the caucuses held in Iowa and Nevada. Coloradans are headed to caucus Tuesday, but every state's caucuses are different – especially this year when the Republican caucuses in Colorado won't conduct a poll for presidential candidates. That decision, made at the state level, may reduce turnout.
While it's Super Tuesday, Colorado's caucuses are unlikely to get as much national coverage as the primaries taking place in a dozen other states that day. But in the Rocky Mountain state, the mysterious caucus system is a way for democracy to take place at the neighborhood level.
“They're arcane, and they're not understood by 99 percent of the electors in the state,” said Jean Walter, chairwoman of the La Plata County Democrats, at a recent meeting of the League of Women Voters. “But they're a great way to get involved at the grass-roots level with national impact.”
Q.: What are caucuses?
A.: Caucuses are a gathering by precinct – La Plata County has 32 precincts – primarily at community buildings such as churches and schools. More than one precinct may convene at the same location, but they meet individually. At Sunnyside and Fort Lewis Mesa elementary schools, for example, precincts from both parties will caucus.
Caucuses are the first step in a process to put candidates on primary and general election ballots, help form party leadership for the next two years and are where resolutions that may eventually end up on state or national party platforms begin. Unlike primary and general elections, which are run by county clerks, caucuses are organized and run by the political parties, and each has its own rules. Votes may be open or secret, depending on the precinct.
The state mandates by statute when caucuses must take place.
“This happens on Super Tuesday because Colorado's legislators decided they wanted the state to grab some of the national attention,” said Skip Page, a longtime member of the La Plata County Republican Central Committee.
Q.: Who can attend caucuses?
A.: The caucuses are open, so anyone can observe. Only voters registered with a party can vote, and they must show up to their assigned precinct to vote. Participants must be present to vote. If you're not registered to vote or are registered as unaffiliated, you're out of luck. The deadline to change affiliation was Jan. 4.
Q.: What happens at a caucus?
A.: Precinct captains organize the event but don't run the meeting. So first, each precinct will elect a chairman and secretary pro-tem to run the meeting and new precinct captains for future years. During election years, precinct captains are usually involved in campaigning and encouraging their area's party members to go to the polls, or, in Colorado's case, send in their mail-in ballots.
While the pressure to select a candidate may not be as intense as at the Iowa and Nevada caucuses, the art of persuasion will be on display at the caucuses as attendees promote their candidates of choice.
After hearing from candidates and their supporters, voters will express their preferences for various offices, including for president (for the Democrats) and county commissioner, elect delegates and alternates to their La Plata County Assembly and recruit volunteers to work during the election. Precincts report their results for different races to the La Plata County clerk, who reports them to the Colorado secretary of state. Some results may be informally sent out on social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, but the official results come from the state.
The final part of the caucus is dedicated to resolutions, policy items the voters would like to see their elected leaders pursue. Legalizing marijuana was a resolution several years ago, and Walter expects support of San Juan County's decision to agree to the Superfund designation to be a resolution this year. All resolutions are gathered by the Republicans' and Democrats' central committees to be evaluated, with the resolutions that the most precincts approve being presented to the county assembly.
Any registered voter in attendance can submit a resolution, but it should be in writing.
Q.: How many delegates does each precinct send to its party's county assembly?
A.: It varies. Democrats determine their number of delegates using a formula based on the number of registered Democrats in that precinct in 2014 and the number of votes cast for Obama in 2012, Walter said. The precincts will send a total of 150 delegates to the La Plata County Democratic Assembly.
Republicans select their number from the 2014 election, La Plata County Republican Secretary Carol Freitas said, with one delegate and one alternate for every 50 votes cast for Bob Beauprez in his run for the Colorado governor's office.
Precincts sometimes find it difficult to elect enough delegates and alternates to meet their allotted number, so voters eager to participate in their party's decisions can move up the ladder by attending their caucus. Republicans can elect a total of 197 delegates to their La Plata County convention.
Q.: Why aren't the Republicans voting for their preferred presidential candidates?
A.: “Party rules at the national level require delegates to be bound to a candidate they voted for in the caucus, and there was concern delegates might be supporting a candidate who has dropped out of the race,” Page said. “The Colorado Republicans intend to send an uncommitted delegation, which will give them flexibility after we've seen how things shake out between now and the end of July.”
Q.: What other races are important in the La Plata County caucuses?
A.: The Democrats have two candidates for the 6th Judicial District, Ben Lammons and Christian Champagne. There are currently no Republican candidates for that office. So if both candidates get enough support during the caucuses – 15 percent required – and the 6th Judicial District Assembly, they will be forwarded to the primary ballot, where the race could be decided.
Candidates must receive 15 percent of votes cast at the caucuses to progress to the next level, the county assemblies. These are the party nominations that are contested and will be voted on Tuesday night:
Republicans
3rd Congressional District: Incumbent Rep. Scott Tipton vs. Alex Beinstein
U.S. Senate: For U.S. Senate candidates caucusing onto the ballot, the elected delegates will be polled at the GOP state convention. A candidate needs at least 30 percent support at the state convention to make the June primary ballot. Other candidates plan to petition onto the ballot. They need 1,500 valid signatures from registered Republicans in each of Colorado's seven congressional districts. The candidates are: Darryl Glenn, Greg Lopez, Tim Neville, Ryan Frazier, Donald Rosier, Jon Keyser, Robert Blaha, Peggy Littleton, Jack Graham, Charlie Ehler, Jerry Eller, Tom Janich, Michael Kinlaw, Greg Lopez and Jerry Natividad.
Democrats
President: Hillary Clinton vs. Bernie Sanders
6th Judicial District Attorney: Christian Champagne vs. Ben Lammons
abutler@durangoherald.com
Democratic process flow chart (PDF)
Democratic precinct delegates (PDF)
Republican precinct delegates (PDF)
2016 Election Schedule
March 1: 7 p.m. – Party caucuses, at various locations. Precinct level caucuses are held in neighborhoods around Colorado. In races where votes are taken, candidates must receive at least 15 percent of the votes to forward their name to the county Democratic or Republican assemblies. Precinct-level party leadership is elected, and resolutions for ideas to be included on the state and national platforms are submitted for consideration.
March 12: 9 a.m. to noon – La Plata County Democratic Assembly, Noble Hall Room 130, Fort Lewis College. Colorado's 64 counties hold conventions to determine which county-level candidates will go on primary ballots and which candidates will be forwarded to the district assemblies. Party leadership is elected, and resolutions are fine-tuned.
1:30 to 2 p.m. – Democratic 6th Judicial District Assembly meets in Noble Hall 130.
March 14: 6 to 9 p.m. – La Plata County Republican Assembly, La Plata County Fairgrounds.
April 2: noon – 59th Colorado House and 6th Judicial District GOP assemblies at the Durango Community Recreation Center.
April 8: 3rd Congressional District Republican Assembly, location to be determined. Colorado's seven congressional district assemblies determine which candidates will be put on the June primary ballot, or, for statewide offices such as U.S. Senate, who will be forwarded to the state assembly for consideration. District delegate-approved resolutions are forwarded to the state assembly.
April 9: Colorado state GOP assembly in Colorado Springs. The state assembly elects delegates to the national convention and selects which candidates for statewide office will appear on the June primary ballot. A candidate must receive votes from at least 30 percent of the delegates to go on the ballot. The state platform and party leadership are confirmed, and the platform is forwarded for consideration at the national level.
April 15-16: Democratic 59th Colorado House and 3rd Congressional district assemblies as well as the Colorado state convention in Loveland.
May 27: Final day for party-affiliated voters to change their affiliation for the primary election. Unaffiliated voters may select an affiliation up to and including on primary election day.
June 10: Last day for county clerks to mail primary ballots.
June 28: Primary ballots must be returned by 7 p.m.
July 18-21: Republican National Convention in Cleveland. A presidential and vice presidential nominee are selected.
July 25-28: Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. A presidential and vice presidential nominee are selected.
Oct. 17: First day ballots may be mailed out by the La Plata County Clerk.
Nov. 8: Election Day. All ballots must be returned by 7 p.m.
