Saying 'I do' to Iowa

[helderheid]

January 3, 2008

The Iowa caucuses commence tonight. If you trust newspaper polls, Barack Obama leads Hillary Clinton, followed closely by John Edwards - the No. 2 choice of many Obama and Clinton backers and the beneficiary of a free John Mellencamp concert to boost support.

On the GOP side, Mitt Romney's ground organization far exceeds Mike Huckabee's while John McCain remains a wild card who could limp past both.

All the breathlessness got me thinking: What the heck happens at an Iowa caucus? Why don't people in Iowa vote at polling places like we do? You know, the real way.

At first, I was embarrassed that as a political observer, I didn't fully grasp the caucus concept. My high school government teacher would be gravely disappointed. I was pretty certain a bunch of people gathered in a room and took a vote. Or something.

Meanwhile, tonight the caucuses will count heads, apply a complicated mathematical formula and determine the number of delegates assigned to each candidate based on caucus attendance. The candidate with the most delegates is declared the winner, one from each political party.

You might think such disorder creates an ideal platform for cheating, fraud and shenanigans.

How do election officials verify caucus attendees are really from Iowa? How can they be sure the auditorium isn't packed with people from Chicago or Sheboygan? How can they be certain caucus attendees show up on their own volition, without a little nudging from a superior at the state highway department? How can they be certain voters weren't promised a job or state contract or promotion or consulting gig or a little kickback or a $1,500 birthday gift for their kid?

Political scientists who favor the caucus tradition defend its honesty. The voting is public and handled openly. Actual bodies must be in the room. In other words, dead people can't vote in Iowa caucuses.

And it's Iowa, for crying out loud. People don't cheat in Iowa.

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