The Kansas Caucus Season is Near

By Keith Campbell

Friday, January 4, 2008

Iowa turned out in record numbers. The Associated Press is estimating that nearly twice as many Democrats* turned out yesterday as compared to 2004. Avoiding a discussiong that Iowa receives too much attention, after Iowa this fact is clear; the 2008 election could spark an interest that could well exceed electors' interest and participation in prior Presidential Election years.

In 2007 the Democratic Governor and the Republican Secretary of State lobbied for Kansas to become a Presidential Primary state. The legislature had a different prospective and decided not to authorize funding. What that means is that Kansas is still a caucus state, and voters will not go to the polls to vote for their Presidential candidate.

In years past the Kansas Caucuses occurred long after the national candidates were selected. This year, with the wide open races for both parties, and the parties moving their respective caucuses to an earlier date, Kansans will most likely caucus before each party has anointed their chosen leader. For a change, we might matter, even if it is just a little bit, in determining who will be the candidates for President.

Like Iowa, the political parties determine the policies and procedures for their caucuses. But don't let the caucus process prevent you from making your voice heard. If you are passionate about a candidate then go and show your support.

Here is information for those who may be interested in participating in the caucus.

The Democratic caucus for Douglas County is occurring on 2/5. The location has yet to be announced. Information is available at the Kansas Democratic website at www.ksdp.org

The Republican caucus for Douglas County is occurring on 2/9. The location is at South Junior High School, 2734 Louisiana. Information is available at the Kansas Republican website at www.ksgopcaucus.org

Here is a chance to make your voice heard in what could be a tight and fascinating election season. More importantly I hope we can take the enthusiasm for the Presidential race and harness it for the local candidates who really will have an important impact on our lives.

*Republicans last caucused in 2000 so it is hard to make a direct comparison as can be done with the Democrats, but it looks like Republican had a 20% increase over the last contested contest.

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Comments

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Posted by clayhill70 (anonymous) on January 4, 2008 at 9:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Thanks

Posted by OtherJoel (anonymous) on January 5, 2008 at 5:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)

That's really cool. I'm not sure yet who I'll back. I had lost some faith in Edwards this time around, but given the alternatives, he's looking better every day, despite the fact that Nader is now backing him (I guess the plaintiff's lawyers have to stick together).

I'm tempted to do the Republican one, just because I'm worried about Huckabee -- I know the separation of church and state has never been absolute, but something about a Baptist minister as President scares me.

He seems like a genuinely nice man -- which is part of why he could be a contender. He's a religious right candidate who appears fairly smart, polite, and humble. He is fairly leftish on economic policy, so he pull some votes from the Dems who are less concerned about his far-right social views. So yeah -- part of me wants to go and give Romney a boost -- who I definitely think would be beatable in the general election. Talk about a flip-flopper!

Posted by alm77 (anonymous) on January 8, 2008 at 9:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I've never participated in this process and I need to up date my voter registration with my current address, so I was thinking of registering as independent to rid myself of this Republican Party hangover. Now, it's my understanding that in NH the independents get to vote for either party, but they have primaries, so would an independent be able to caucus??

Caucuses seem a bit intimidating to me. Does anyone else feel this way?

Posted by OtherJoel (anonymous) on January 8, 2008 at 9:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Caucus locations, FYI:

http://www.ksdp.org/caucus

Posted by alm77 (anonymous) on January 9, 2008 at 8:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I registered yesterday as "no party affiliation", but if I want to participate in caucus I can register on Super Tuesday (Dems) or Feb 9 (Reps). Now I just need to figure out who I want to support.

Posted by lostblend (Keith Campbell) on January 9, 2008 at 2:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Alm-

The Republicans require that you are registered as an R by the 25th of this month.

http://www.ksgopcaucus.org/process.htm

My understanding is that the Democrats will allow you to affiliate the night of the caucus.

Posted by booyalab (anonymous) on January 12, 2008 at 10:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)

For all of the single-party (DFL) voters that make up Lawrence, do any of you realize that the most liberal candidate is on the GOP side?

I'm registering as a republican so I can vote for Ron Paul.

The Kansas Caucus Season is Near

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