help me understand the texas primary...

[ourbluenation]

and that the caucus results aren't all in yet. thx in advance

[bookman]

1. Try this site...

..

http://www.txdemocrats.org/index.php/282

I agree it is a bit confusing.

[ourbluenation]

2. to the point - she won popular vote but what if he wins the caucus?

thx

[bdamomma]

3. just a question is Obama ahead in the caucus results.

[Igel]

4. It's simple.

Well, ok, relatively. Compared to some kinds of math.

1) You vote. You choose your ballot, dem or repub, and that's your (new) party affiliation. So it's open, in that you can choose either ballot at the polls; it's closed, in that you only get a ballot with either repub or with dem candidates, and can't split your vote between parties. It's also closed in that by casting a dem ballot you affirm that you're a member of the Democratic Party. If it means you've just reregistered, so be it.

The primary assigns 2/3 of the delegates.

2) When you vote in the primary, you get a ticket granting you admission to your precinct's caucus. When you get there, you sign in and cast your *caucus* level vote. You can leave; your vote will be counted (unless it's disqualified--if you give wrong info, are in the wrong precinct, etc.). You can also stick around if you want to vote for who will be the delegates or want to be a delegate.

The number of delegates a precinct gets is based on the number of voters in the previous primary. Imagine two precincts: 1 and 2. 1 had 50 dem votes last time, and 1000 this time. 2 had 1000 dem votes last time and 1100 votes this time. 2 will get vastly more delegates than 1 will, because of previous voting patterns.

3) Later this month all the delegates from (2) get together locally to select delegates to the state-wide convention held, IIRC, in June. The state-wide convention will select the delegates to go to Colorado this summer for the national convention.

Example: I voted in early voting, and got a slip saying I voted dem. I then took that slip to my precinct at 7:30 or so last night. They checked it, verified that I belonged in that precinct, and I signed in, indicating my choice for nominee. We all waited for the sign-in to finish, then each group, BO and HRC supporters, grouped together. We were told that based on previous voting we had 35 delegates to award. Based on the count from the sign-in sheets, 61 caucus goers went for HRC, 400 (even) went for BHO. Maybe 6 of the HRC supporters stuck around for the selection of delegates; upwards of 100 BHO supporters stuck around. Nonetheless, HRC got 5 delegates, BHO got 30. Each side had to select alternates: On the one hand, a voting delegate may not show, on the other hand it's possible that enough caucusers will be disqualified that it'll change delegate allocation figures.

I'm an alternate delegate; on 3/29, I have to go to a local convention, where the voting delegates decide who will go to on to the next stage. (Past that point, I have no idea how it works--I assume that delegates are pledged.)

(on edit: The remaining 1/3 of the delegates aren't those chosen at the caucuses; they aren't those chosen at the local conventions; they're chosen at the state convention, by the delegates chosen at the local conventions. Clear enough? Right.)

I've found people that understand why they have this process--I'm one of them. But I've found only a few BHO supporters that like the process, and those few like it because it's helped their side, not because they actually think it's fair based on any sort of decontextualized principle.