This past Saturday, I ventured down to the Seattle Public Library at 1:00pm to attend my very first Democratic caucus.

When I got there, the line to sign in was snaking around the elevator and escalator areas on the bottom floor. People were busily chatting, questioning what to expect as, for many of them, it seemed to be their first caucus. The wait actually went by quickly and before I knew it, I was standing at the front of the line for precinct 2544 (represent!) filling in my name, address and initial vote.

What’s interesting – and clearly startling – is that they didn’t ask me for my license as proof of my eligibility when I was filling out that first ballot. Even when I flashed my wallet back and forth and prodded, saying “Do you need to see identification?”, the woman behind the desk shook her head no and told me I was good to go. At this point, I realized I essentially could have taken off my jacket, got back into line and probably filled out another ballot as someone else, granted I knew their name and address.

Shrugging off that initial shock, I took my place in the auditorium seating and waited for the festivities to begin. Shortly after, an older, but spry, woman named Evelyn got on the mike and asked us to stand for the pledge of allegiance. (A pledge of allegiance, by the way, that was more disorganized than those I heard sleepily muttered during homeroom in high school). Evelyn followed this up by explaining the rules, outlining how our day would go, and informing us of what would come next.

Basically, after they counted and called out the initial tallies for each of the four precincts there, we would break off into separate rooms to go about the caucus process: Representatives for each candidate would engage in a ritual of wooing the undecideds to vote for their candidate, thus increasing the number of delegates awarded.

The first tally was a large dose of foreshadowing: Obama and Clinton started off with a delegate ration of 25:7, respectively; a ratio which only grew to favor Obama more as the undecideds were convinced – at least in my precinct – to vote for Obama. We then broke off into individual precincts and moved to smaller rooms upstairs in the library. (As a side note, in total, there were 425 people at the caucus and the organizers made it very clear that that number was unprecedented).

When we got upstairs, after they explained and whiteboarded the math they used to calculate the delegate spread, the groups for each candidate separated to opposite sides of the room and the undecideds were placed in the middle (I think this was done to throw a little levity into the situation…it worked). The groups were then given 15 minutes to fraternize with those not yet pledged to a candidate and convince them why each respective candidate deserved their vote. This was followed by a 1 minute speech from each side addressing key concerns on the part of the undecideds (the Iraq war and women’s rights, in our case). The goal of this was to assert why Obama or Clinton was the best option to solve those problems.

With that finished, we moved on to the final tally where the undecideds had to pledge their vote to a single candidate and a recount of the ballots was performed (this was also done to account for anyone who came in late).  Our facilitator then recounted the ballots, declared a 7 to 1 victory for Obama, and called the caucus to a close. Three and half hours later, we were finished.

All in all, it was a really cool process that was worth going to and the volunteers pulled it off nicely, especially considering it was a new process this year. I got the feeling that, if news stations decided to focus on events like these, people could relate more and it would incite them to participate and play their part in our democracy. When you think about it, 3.5 hours every 4 – 8 years is an incredibly insignificant amount of time to spend when you consider the impact you’re having.

Finally, there are a few points which may be interesting for people wanting to go to a caucus in the future to know:

• If you’re 17 and will turn 18 before the November election, you can caucus.
• Knowing your precinct number before you go helps, but it’s not necessary.
• Don’t worry if you think your lack of political knowledge will make you an outcast. Plenty of people were slightly less than knowledgeable. Say you’re undecided and watch as all those that are in the know work to educate you.
• The caucus cost the Democratic Party of Washington $11,000 just for our four precincts alone. Show up to make sure this money put to its max effective use!
• These are pretty spirited events. People were “woo!”ing for their precincts and intensely interested in the outcome. Passion. Caring. That’s our democracy.
• You can volunteer to be a delegate for the county caucus if you want to play a bigger part in your state’s election process (two people are needed per delegate: one primary, one as a backup).
• You’ll be surprised at how invested you feel in the process and the outcome after attending.
• This only happens once every 4 or 8 years, so go if you can!

If you’re interested, my raw notes from this event are available here (they’re rough and were taken on a mobile phone, so forgive any terseness or typos). I recommend taking a look – a lot happened that I couldn’t fit into this post.

Walking past a conference room in my building at work, I heard a group of people talking about politics. It sounded as if they were discussing the remaining Republican candidates for president: I heard the last name Huckabee squeeze out of the open door as I passed.

Once I comprehended what their topic was, my gut reaction surprised me: I smiled and thought how great it was that people were caring about civics again. I didn’t snarl at the mention of Huckabee or even jump to conclusions about their lack of sanity for supporting such an ideologically misguided candidate (those thoughts came later, rest assured). It was simply true enjoyment of their interest in politics.

It’s a great and powerful thing to see people truly caring. It’s one of those emotions that envelopes you, uplifting simply because you had the chance to bear witness to it. These people were emanating care. My brief tryst with their words as I sped by was enough to tell that they were engaged, and their engagement was endearing.

Our current government has slipped too many tricks past us these past many years. After the 2000 and 2004 elections, disillusionment about our ability to affect change via our voices found its foothold in our daily lives and led many to ask “What’s the point? My voice doesn’t matter”. Though some where disgruntled by this horrifying realization, the majority of us lost interest and stopped caring about the horrible crime that had been committed. In a democracy, there’s no greater treachery than robbing your citizens of their belief in their ability to be and stand up for the change they wish to see in the world. We were comatose spirits, unknowingly resigned to our tyrannical fate.

Then, one day, a few people woke up. They woke up and realized the awfulness of our state and began to sound the alarm. Comedians, actors, politicians, everyday citizens. They all began to take advantage of their positions to remind us all to wake up, too. And, slowly, one by one, we’ve stirred and stared bleak-eyed at our surroundings, horrified at the carcases of our liberties so carelessly strewn about.

Our country is coming to, again. That iconic beacon of democratic hope that was the United States is slowly burning brighter and brighter. Our foreign neighbors are being woken up out of their own spells of disillusionment to a brighter prospect than before: A country standing for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness well on its way to historically electing a black man or a white woman to helm its ship. Two progressive liberals, vying for a piece of what will become our bright past, dedicated to resurrecting our liberties and giving back to us that which was unjustly taken away: A belief in our ability to carry forward the most quintessential democracy the world has ever known. We have a right to that ability and we’re demanding it back.

One engaged conversation after another is all we need to slowly rekindle the fire at the heart of our nation. When I now hear the disillusioned questioning from people around me, I tell them the point is bold and ambitious and that our voices do matter. Our voices are all we have. We just need to learn, once again, how best to use them.  

Hot off the press, it appears Mitt Romney has dropped out of the suspended his race for the Republican presidential nominee. According to CNN:

Mitt Romney suspended his bid for the Republican presidential nomination Thursday, saying if he continued it would “forestall the launch of a national campaign and be making it easier for Senator Clinton or Obama to win.”

“In this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror…”

Ignoring his inflammatory, neoconservative reason for dropping out, it’s now a two-person race on both sides.

The only worry I have now is what the lack of Romney will do to bolster Huckabee’s base. It’s common knowledge that McCain represents a fractured Republican base. Will those middle-grounders formerly devoted to Romney now give their state delegates to Huckabee or McCain? It’s up to each state to determine this.

Romney’s exit frees up 286 delegates. If they all go to McCain, his nomination would be locked in with a total of 1,000 delegates out of 1,191. However, if for some reason they go to Huckabee, he’ll have 467, potentially putting him back into the race and perhaps spurring a sturdier and more widespread base.

It’s more probable that McCain has the nomination locked, but we’ll have to stay tuned…