Jan 2, 2008 11:10 pm US/Central
Reality Check: What The Iowa Caucus Actually Does
(WCCO)
Despite all the media hype ... Iowans are not actually voting for president.
They're actually electing delegates to the national political conventions this summer.
It's TRUE. The Iowa Caucuses are actually run by Iowa's political parties, not the government.
There are no voting booths, so the rules are much different from a primary or a general election.
Here's HOW IT WORKS. Republican caucus goers will actually take a non binding straw poll, so we will see actual numbers for the presidential candidates, but the Democratic caucus is much different.
On that side, the caucus goers supporting candidates literally stand in groups and move to different parts of the room.
Candidates need 15 percent to be viable. Less than that and the presidential candidate is out.
Here's what you NEED TO KNOW. The Iowa caucuses are important not just because they are first -- 11 of the last 13 party nominees have won in Iowa or New Hampshire or both.
But only one future president actually won a contested Iowa caucus -- George W. Bush in 2000.
That's Reality Check.
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