Caucus
Caucus ( IPA: kɔ ( ː ) kəs or kɒ ( ː ) kəs, plural caucuses ), known in English a meeting of members and supporters of a political party or grouping, commonly used to prefix a candidate for high political office.
Etymology and history of the concept
The origin of the name is disputed, American Indian ( " tribal gathering ", about from the Algonquian ), less Latin roots are discussed. As secured but that the term was first used in North American English, and in 1878 came to England when Joseph Chamberlain in Birmingham Liberal Association organized, which then soon became a model for other liberal connections throughout England, as the import of American " politics machine " was, and therefore of the conservative politician and later Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli the name Caucus got missed. In Germany he became known as one of several forms of nomination elections, decide by which political parties in the United States, whom they stand as a candidate for the presidential election. While the other type of primaries, the Primary Election will be decided in a single round and corresponds to the usual secret ballot vote, which, subject to certain candidates delegates in the caucus process more open to the national party conventions in several successive rounds and often in vote determined. Especially in the southern United States and in some outdoor areas, the designation convention is being used. This is essentially the same procedure.
Caucus as preselection procedure in the U.S.
Background
The American presidential election is held every four years on " election day ", the national election day in November. At the grassroots freestyle a suitable candidate hold the political parties from January to June of the election year so-called primaries. The round begins in January with the caucus in Iowa, which was introduced in its present form in 1972, followed by the primary in New Hampshire. This first primaries attaches great significance for the further pre-election campaign by the parties, they show a first mood of the electorate.
History
Previously the term caucus stood only for the informal leadership circle of a party. This leadership circle examined the candidates for public office from (King Caucus ). The deputies of the two major parties of approximately 1796 to 1824 came to secret " congressional caucus " together and agreeing on the their respective candidates. The purpose of this system of party meetings is to indicate by the election of delegates to which candidates prefer the party members of the individual states. Far-reaching reforms, there was after 1968 Hubert Humphrey had been elected as a compromise candidate of the Democratic presidential candidate, even though he had not participated in the primaries. This led to riots in Chicago. Then, pre-and primary elections were widely introduced and their sequence controlled by the states law.
Expiration
For the flow of a caucus no uniform rules apply. They vary by state and after parties. A valid throughout the United States statute of the parties to the nomination process does not exist. But generally: To Caucus to party members or only for purposes of campaign trailer first registered gather in small circles on the lower, local level. Accessions and new registrations are allowed even at the beginning of the meetings. However, every American can only register with one of the two parties. Before the actual choice will be considered and discussed, which should send multiple intra-party presidential candidate, the party in the election for the highest office in the state about it. The actual choice runs on the caucuses very different from, in part, by secret ballot, but in some cases, the followers gather around a badge of their preferred candidates. The still undecided form their own group, thus expressing their desire for further information. The followers of each group will now be encouraged to stand up for their preferred candidate through presentations or individual meetings to dissuade as many dissenters and to bring to their own group. At the end of the event include party officials from the members of the various groups and then calculate again after different methods how many delegates each candidate will be assigned.
Democrats held in 2008 in 14 states from a caucus. For them there is a 15 per cent threshold in contrast to the Republicans. If a candidate in the first ballot not the required minimum voting shares, no delegates are assigned to him, and his followers can join the camp of successful candidates after re-deliberations in a second ballot. The distribution of votes in proportion with the Democrats in every state. If a candidate, for example, 40 % of the votes, also 40 % of the delegates are assigned to him, which should represent this caucus at the next higher level of the caucus process.
Republican caucuses, there was the election of 2008 in 13 states. Here the allocation of delegates is at the candidates often for a " winner takes all " - method, ie, the winner gets 100 % of the delegates assigned. The defeated candidates come up empty. In some states, however, a proportional allocation takes place at the Republicans.
After the first round of caucuses are nationally organized to further levels similar precipitates, in each of which determines which delegates are sent to the next higher level. This process can take several months. Due to the binding of most of the delegates to a presidential candidate, the choice of this state may, however, be predicted mainly after the first round.
States with caucus
In the following States were held in 2008 in both parties caucuses: Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, North Dakota, Washington and Wyoming. In Idaho and Nebraska held only the Democratic Party in Montana only the Republican Party Caucuses.
Differences between caucus and primary
In the primaries (actually primary elections ) registered voters can directly select for which of the candidates, the delegates of this State to the national party convention are to ( national convention ) are correct. When local caucus delegates are elected, in turn, appoint in several successive steps to further national meetings delegates to the national convention.
Another difference from the primaries is in the presentations and discussions among the participants, which take place on the same day and precede the actual election.
Primaries are elections by secret ballot by ballot or voting machines, while one's own opinion needs to be frequently expressed in non- secret ballot and in various ways, for example by forming groups to the selected candidates in the caucus.
In a primary, the vote may be cast at any time during opening hours of the election Local, and absentee voting is possible. A caucus is, however, scheduled at a precisely defined time; then who is not present, can not participate in the subsequent election.
Criticism
Due to the pressure for physical presence at the vote at a certain time - without the possibility of postal voting - not all voters to participate in this form of candidacy.
The term caucus in a different context
In the United States and some Commonwealth countries, the term caucus is still used in a broader sense. In the U.S., general political interest groups are referred to as " caucus ". The most famous are in addition to the Congressional Democratic and Republican caucuses of the " Congressional Black Caucus " and the " Congressional Hispanic Caucus ," the parliamentary interest groups of blacks and Hispanics. Interest groupings such as "Peak Oil Caucus " in Congress are first and foremost across party lines, so take the Democratic lawmakers and the Republicans together, which is a single political issue - want to care especially - here " Peak Oil".
In Canada and New Zealand Caucus is a group of parliamentarians who belong to the same party, in the sense of a political group. In Australia, however, does not mean the fraction even so, just the regular meeting of parliamentarians of a particular party, the Labor Party. The term was introduced in Australia from a Native Americans at the beginning of the last century on the occasion of the first government education.
The British writer Lewis Carroll has the Caucus noted in 1885 in his book Alice in Wonderland. The third chapter " Caucus - race and what is it" plays in the form of satirical political practices in the United States at that time.
» What is a Caucus - race? " Asked Alice (...) "Well," said the Dodo, " the best way to explain it is to play. " ( ... ) First he described the railway, a kind of circle (...) then the whole company was set up here and there on the web. There was no: "one, two, three, go," counted, but they began running when it occurred to them, listened to as they fancied them, so it was not easy to decide when the race was over. When they were but about running a half hour and completely dry, the Dodo suddenly called out " The race is made " and they crowded around him, out of breath, with the question? "But who has won," This question was the Dodo not answer without deep thought (...). At last the Dodo said, " Everybody has won, and all must have prizes ."