There has been understandable concern about the Texas caucus. Between the expected turn-out and reported shenanigans that one campaign might be planning, it’s natural that people want to arm themselves with information.
So. If you’re wondering about how to caucus in Texas, this diary is for you.
Prepare Yourself
Obama Election Hotline: If you see something strange, call the hotline. Polls not open at 7 a.m.? Caucus doors close before 7:15 p.m.? Call the hotline. Put the number in your phones now. 877-48-OBAMA or 877-486-2262
Download a Caucus Fact Sheet in English OR Spanish from the Resource Center.
Also read up on the Texas Caucus Bill of Rights
First, a note on my intended audience. This diary is from the perspective of a precinct captain (that’s me!) writing to someone just interested in understanding how to participate in the caucus system. This diary is not for people looking to assume a leadership role in their caucus. If you would like to assume a leadership role, call your local Obama office RIGHT NOW and get yourself trained and involved. We can still find room for you. I promise. There is still time for you to Barack the Vote in your own way.
Now, on to the caucus procedure.
I. VOTE
Before you caucus, you must VOTE. Early voting ended Friday, February 29. You can vote at your polling place on Tuesday, March 4th, from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Bring your current voter registration card (valid for this calendar year), and/or a Texas State ID or a piece of mail like a utility bill. When you check in to vote, get your Voter Reg card stamped. This will admit you into the caucus. You can also ask for a receipt. While we will have voter rolls at the caucus, it’s best to ensure your own safeguard.
Look up your polling place here from the campaign or here from the State of Texas
You must vote in the Democratic primary to caucus with the Democrats. However, you can switch candidates in the caucus. Voted for Edwards? Kucinich? Clinton? You can still come caucus for Obama, and we’d love to have you join us.
II. Go To Your Caucus Location BY 7:00 p.m.
Worried? Get to your caucus location EARLY. How early? If you’re there by 6:45, then you have plenty of time to call the hotline (877-48-OBAMA) in case anything seems amiss. The caucus cannot start before 7:15 p.m. If it starts before 7:15 p.m., call that Hotline!
Remember: no campaign materials inside 100 feet of the polling location while people are still voting. It can get the Democratic Party and the campaign in trouble, and we don’t want that. Turn that slammin’ Obama tee inside-out or wear a sweater. Break out the gear once the caucus starts so you can show everyone who you support.
III. Starting the Caucus
What happens at the caucus? For those of you who just want to participate, it’s pretty simple. First, the caucus cannot start until the last person in line to vote who also wants to caucus has voted. Once this last person has voted, the temporary caucus chair calls the caucus to order.
The temporary caucus chair is the person who took possession of the caucus packet at 7:00 p.m. A temporary caucus secretary will also be nominated and seconded. After the caucus is called to order, the sign-in period begins. You will write your name, address, email, voter ID number (provided for you, and on your Voter Reg card), and the candidate you support. This is your caucus vote. Writing in the name of the person you support is the reason why you’re there. Make sure your writing is clear. Once every person in line to caucus has signed in, AND it is after 7:15 p.m., the caucus is closed.
IV. Administering the Caucus
Once everyone has signed in, those in attendance will elect the permanent caucus chair and secretary, who will oversee the rest of the caucus. They will determine the threshhold for viability, and count up the supporters for each candidate. This is the first ballot. If any candidates do not reach viability, their supporters will be able to change their vote. These people should go to the sign in table and make their intentions clearly known to the sign-in folks. The total number of vote changes can also be recorded in the caucus minutes by the secretary. Next, the precinct will take care of some precinct-level business, some resolutions, and hopefully some further party organizing for November.
Finally, the final delegate counts will be announced. Next, the folks present will nominate a slate of people to be the actual delegates and alternates for each candidate, and the supporters present will vote those people in. If you would like to run to be a delegate in Texas, you MUST be available for your County Convention on Saturday, March 29th. Once these positions are all filled, and there is no other business, the caucus will be called to a close. Retire to your local watering hole and/or couch and watch the returns come in!
10 Ways to Avoid Texas Caucus Malfeasance
1. Know the Hotline Numbers. See something? Say something. Obama Campaign: 877-48-OBAMA. Texas Democratic Party Hotline: 1-800-336-3254.
2. Know the Texas Democratic Party Rules. Print out that website. Dem’s the rules. If anyone isn’t following those rules, they are in violation of the Texas Democratic Party. Call the hotlines above.
3. Review Robert’s Rules of Order. The caucus is conducted with these Parliamentary procedures. Review them. Print out the PDF on that website. Know the lingo.
4. Watch the Sign-In Table. Regardless of who is running the sign-in table, just make sure to observe everything very carefully. Make sure no one is being pressured. Make sure those who want to caucus for someone other than Clinton or Obama, or want to caucus as Undecided, are still permitted to do so.
5. Make Sure the Sign-In Table is CLEAR of Signage. It should say Registration and that is IT. No candidate names. Just "Registration."
6. Be Ready With Extra Sign-in Sheets. If there aren’t enough sign-in sheets, any blank sheet of paper is good enough for a sign-in sheet provided all information is listed as it is on the regular sheets. Again, watch these sheets carefully.
7. Make Sure Enough People Stay. Before you leave, check with your candidate’s precinct captain and make sure there are enough people present to serve as delegates. However, remember that it is your sign-in that counts as your vote. If your caucus has 400 people in attendance and is only going to elect 20 delegates, you can probably go home. Again, it is most important that you show up and sign in for your candidate.
8. Do the Math on a Poster Board. So there is no confusion, once the tallies of voters present, viability threshholds, and counts for each candidate are announced, write the numbers in big dark marker on a big sheet of poster board so everyone knows what the numbers are.
9. Call the Results Loudly So All Hear Them. Once the Delegate Math is done, make sure the final results are called out loudly so everyone at the caucus is a witness to the final results.
10. Take a Photo of the Results. It is legal to take a photograph of the results, especially if they are calculated publicly on a gigantic piece of poster board. You may not take photos while anyone is still voting. But during the caucus, you can take pictures. (Take some for posterity too! But take a photo of the results.)
Frequently Asked Questions About the Texas Primary-Caucus System
Q: Who can vote in this primary?
A: Any registered voter, regardless of how you have voted before. Democrats, Independents and Republicans can all vote in the Democratic primary for Barack Obama.
Q: Can I still register to vote?
A: No, the deadline was February 4, but register now to vote in November.
Q: Do I need to vote in order to caucus?
A: YES. You must vote in the Democratic Primary in order to caucus for the Democrats. You can vote but not caucus, but if you want to caucus you must vote in the same party’s primary.
Q: Where do I caucus?
A: At the polling location where you are physically registered to vote, at the precinct on your most recent voter registration card. Look yourself up here through the State of Texas
Q: How does the caucus work? Do we stand around and argue? Does it take long?
A: After all voters in line at 7:00 p.m. have cast their primary ballot, your location will begin its caucus. You will sign in on a list of voters and indicate your choice. You may then leave. Some folks will stay to make sure that there are enough delegates to represent your candidate’s support. Make sure there are sufficient Obama supporters before heading to your favorite watering hole to watch the results come in.
Q: What if it is too crowded?
A: If it's too crowded, after the caucus is closed and everyone is signed in, someone can make a motion to move the caucus to another location -- the soccer field in back? The parking lot? Leave a sign that states where you went, but since the caucus is closed, you can all move. Take the Registration tables with you, too.
Q: When do they lock the doors? What if I'm late?
A: Be there by 7:00 p.m. They CANNOT start until 7:15. If someone tries to start before 7:15, call the Hotline. The caucus will be closed once everyone who is there by 7:15 has signed in.
Q: How do I become a delegate for Obama at the caucus?
A: At your local caucus, support for Obama will be measured not only in terms of voters who sign in for Obama, but also in terms of delegates, which are people who stay at each caucus location to physically represent his support. If there are not enough people to represent this support, it goes to another candidate. Make sure there are enough Obama supporters at your location before you leave. Ask for your Obama precinct captain, precinct team, or precinct chair. If you would like to become a delegate, find your precinct captain, team, or chair, and let them know.
Q: What do delegates do?
A: Delegates for Obama from your precinct will move on to your county-level Democratic convention at the end of March. At each phase we need enough Obama delegates to preserve our local caucus results. If you become a delegate at your caucus, your commitment will only require you to show up one more time to your county convention, where the proportion of Obama delegates from your local caucus will begin to determine how the state-wide caucus delegates will be apportioned.
Some eager Obama-supporting delegates will continue on past the county-level convention to the state-level convention, where again the ratio of Obama delegates to delegates for other candidates will determine how the 67 caucus delegates are finally split.
Fun Things To Do at the Caucus
Make home-made signs and bring them to decorate the convention room. List reasons why you support Barack Obama.
Bring snacks! Bring some to share! Just in case there are delays in starting due to our anticipated record turn-out, make sure to maintain that energy level so you stay Fired Up! and Ready to Go!
Meet your neighbors, and start to get organized for this fall! Let’s continue our momentum and help Democrats up and down the ballot in November.
Last But Not Least!
Not here in Texas, or here but not involved through the Obama campaign office? Get involved! Kossacks have been calling Texas voters on the national phonebanking tool all weekend long. Just please don’t say "y’all" unless it’s part of your own native vernacular!
Prepare Yourself
Obama Election Hotline: If you see something strange, call the hotline. If something’s fishy, call the hotline. Polls not open at 7 a.m.? Call the hotline. Caucus doors close before 7:15 p.m? Call the hotline. Texans, put the number in your cell phones now. 877-48-OBAMA or 877-486-2262
Download a Caucus Fact Sheet in English OR Spanish from the Resource Center and send it to people you know in Texas.
Also read up on the Texas Caucus Bill of Rights
Now, if there’s anything you need answered, leave a question, but again, the focus is just to explain to people how to participate.