In the few days since the 2016 Minnesota State Caucuses, some of my excited Bernie Sanders-supporting Facebook friends have called the caucus system chaotic. They’ve claimed it’s ripe for abuse and that Minnesota should switch to a primary system. Their wishes to keep politics in the hands of the people and to get rid of the caucuses run counter to one other. In caucus states there is much more participation by the people at the most local level.
At a caucus it’s the actual volunteers who convene each neighborhood (precinct) and count the votes, not a Diebold machine that can be manipulated like in Ohio in 2004.
I was a co-site manager at this year’s Minnesota Caucus in my Senate District and it was up to me and the other co-site manager to make sure each voter found their correct precinct. We were assisted by my wife and my twelve-year-old daughter who were helping people find their addresses on maps to lead them in the right direction.
It was also up to us co-managers to make sure each precinct correctly turned in their ballots. Each precinct has at least two people count the ballots and sign their name on the precinct reporting card. All of us were volunteers. Our senate district was responsible for arranging and paying for each caucus site and all the materials. And it was regulated by us, the actual people in the district. It’s as grass roots as it can possibly get, and I would argue that it couldn’t be less corruptible.
When I ran for the state house in 2012 and 2014, I went to both caucus sites in my district and was able to introduce myself to every caucus goer. They were able to learn what I was all about so they could make an informed decision when they voted. That doesn’t happen in a primary. Local candidates are ignored.
Primaries are also paid for with state tax dollars – a couple to a few million or more tax dollars. Caucuses are much less expensive and paid for by local small donations to the senate district by the people who live in the district.
Minnesota’s caucuses are a big part of why Minnesota stands out as one of the most politically considerate states in the country.
All the Bernie supporters, many of whom had never participated before, can now be more involved in their own districts from the bottom up. Otherwise people just vote for a presidential candidate — they don’t meet their local representatives, they don’t get a say in their party’s platform, they don’t get to meet and mingle with their neighbors, and are generally less engaged with our democratic process.
