Super Tuesday 2008 Caucus Information

Date: Tuesday, February 5th
Location: The Panida Theater, 300 N First Avenue, Sandpoint - DIRECTIONS
Doors Open: 5:30 p.m.
Doors Close: 7:00 p.m. You MUST be at the Panida by 7:00, or you will not be able to participate

Bonner County Caucus Information:
FOOD and DRINK: Please make your own arrangements for food and drinks. You may complete your sign-in, and leave the Panida for dinner, as long as you RETURN BY 7:00 PM. We are encouraging you to SIGN-IN EARLY!!! Also, there will be healthy, delicious food, soup, salads (vegetarian too) and drinks (bottled water, pop, coffee, tea) available in the Panida building at F.C. Weskil's. Many of us will be "brown bagging."

CHILDREN: Space is limited, however, if your children are old enough to sit in the Panida balcony, they can attend as spectators. There will be NO CHILDCARE PROVIDED (because of limited space) - please read the FAQs, and use your best judgment.

Need Last Minute Info on Tuesday?
Call 208-290-5261 or 208-610-2180

Frequently Asked Questions - From the Idaho Democratic Party Web Site - Link to FAQ - Link to IDP Caucus Page

When is the Democratic Caucus?
The Caucus takes place on February 5, 2008. All the Caucuses in Idaho will start and the doors will close at 7pm. Be sure that you attend early so that you can be signed in before the doors close. In larger counties, such as Ada, you may want to sign in at least an hour early.

How long will it take?
It depends on how large your county is. A small county may only take two or three hours, but a large county, like Ada, may take four hours. BONNER COUNTY: we expect to be done around 9:30 or 10.

Do I need to register for the Democratic Caucus?
There is no need to pre-register for the Caucus. You simply sign-in at the door. There is no requirement for identification cards or utility bills. When you sign-in, you will pledge that you will be voting in that county in the general election in 2008.

Do I need to register as a Democrat to participate in the Democratic Caucus?
In Idaho, there is no party registration. When you sign-in at the door, the form that you will sign will state that you are a Democrat. However, no one will be turned away because of their personal party affiliation and this information is not registered with the State. Everyone-whether Republican, Independent or Democrat-is welcome to participate in the Caucus.

Do I need to be a registered voter to participate in the Democratic Caucus?
You do not have to be a registered voter to participate in the Democratic Caucus. The form that you sign-in with will state that you plan on voting in the General Election in the county that you are participating in the Caucus. If you will be registered in that county by the November 4 General Election, you can participate in that county’s election. That means if you are 17 years old now, but will be 18 and registered by the General Election, you can participate in the Caucus.

How does the Caucus work?
When you sign-in, you will put your selection for Democratic Presidential nominee on your ballot. When everyone is signed-in, there will be a roll call; when your name is called, you state your Presidential nominee. After the roll call, everyone in the room will be divided up by which candidate they support. For example, all the Kucinich supporters would stand on the west wall and, the Clinton supporters on the north wall and all the undecided voters on the east wall.

At this point, some supporters of the various candidates will make speeches in support of their candidate and try to persuade undecided voters and voters supporting candidates that have less than 15% of the support of the voters in the room to support a different candidate. If a candidate does not have at least 15% of the voters support, then no delegates will be allotted to that candidate.

After the speeches, voters will have a chance to change their vote in the re-caucusing. You sign a new ballot and join the new group if you change your vote.

Any candidate that has 15% or more of the support of the voters in the room will be able to have delegates. For example, if a county is allotted nine delegates, and Kucinich, Obama and Clinton all get 30% of the vote, each of those candidates would get three delegates each.

The supporters of each candidate that is allotted delegates then vote for delegates to represent their candidate at the State Convention.

What is a delegate?
A delegate is a supporter of a candidate and a representative of the Idaho Democratic Party. Delegates selected from the County Caucus will go to the State Convention to help draft the Platform and have a chance to be selected to represent Idaho at the National Convention. For more information about delegates, click here.

Do the votes in the Caucus “count”?
Yes. The votes in the Caucus are the determining factor in deciding which candidate Idaho delegates will support at the National Convention.

Why is there a vote for Democratic Presidential nominees in the regular Primary Election in May?
The Secretary of State will still put the Democratic Presidential candidates on the ballot in the Primary Election on May 27. However, the Primary vote will not count toward anything, as far as Democratic Presidential candidates are concerned. The Caucus will determine who Idaho delegates support, not the Primary Election.

Will there be restrooms available during the Caucus?
Yes.

Will the Caucus location be disabilities accessible?
Yes. All Caucus locations are accessible, as they are required to by Democratic National Committee Bylaws.

Can I vote in the caucus via an absentee ballot?
No.

How long will the caucus run?
The length varies depending on county. Most will run 2-3 hours, but larger counties (i.e. Ada) will probably run longer.

Page updated 2/5/2008 at 11:47 AM Pacific Time