Republicans, Democrats  will caucus Tuesday

Tuesday?s Iowa caucuses aren?t just for those deciding among the Republican presidential candidates.

Both major political parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, are hosting caucuses across Iowa, tagged ?First in the Nation,? because Iowa?s primary votes are the first state votes that will narrow the field, culminating at the national conventions in August and September.

The general election, where registered voters decide the outcome between a Republican candidate and incumbent Democratic President Barak Obama ? and perhaps candidates from other parties ? is in November.

In Jefferson County, the caucuses for both political parties begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Voters are urged to be already through the doors and lined up by precinct or ward by 7 p.m. Doors will open at 6 p.m. at most locations, except Fairfield High School opens at 5:30 p.m.

Republican caucus locations, Jefferson County

Republicans will gather in several locations Tuesday, but where one goes is determined by residential address. Voters need to only attend a caucus location where they can vote.

The following locations are for Jefferson County Republicans to caucus:

? Fairfield High School Commons [cafeteria] will be the spot for all residents within Fairfield city limits, that is, all of Wards 1-5; plus residents of the townships of Center, Cedar and Buchanan.

? Batavia Senior Center, Batavia, is where residents of Locust Grove, Liberty and Des Moines townships will caucus.

? The Van Voorst Room at the Packwood Christian Church, Packwood, is the location to caucus for residents of Polk and Blackhawk townships.

? Lockridge City Hall is hosting residents of Lockridge and Round Prairie townships to caucus.

? Pleasant Plain, 500 5th St., Pleasant Plain, will be the caucus site for residents of Walnut and Penn townships, as well as Pleasant Plain.

Democratic caucus location, Jefferson County

Democrats also will gather together, even though their incumbent candidate does not have a challenger within the party.

Lincoln School, Fairfield, will host all Jefferson County residents wanting to support the Democratic ticket.

Voters can register Tuesday at caucus

Unlike the general election in November, voters must be registered with one of these two major political parties to have a vote Tuesday. Voters must be 18 years old by Election Day, Nov. 6, to vote in Tuesday?s caucuses.

If independents or someone eligible to vote but not yet registered wants to participate, there is the availability to register at their residential caucus location on Tuesday night. To register at the caucus, show up early; bring a valid photo identification and proof of address.

?Even if someone has recently switched parties, their name may not be on the list and they will need to register again,? said Pat Frieberg, treasurer, Jefferson County Republicans. ?To register Tuesday at the caucus, bring a photo i.d. If their current address doesn?t match their i.d., they need to also bring a bill, such as a utility bill, or bank statement, in their name with their current residential address.?

A post office box is not a residential address.

Both the Republican and Democratic caucuses will:

? Vote for a preferred presidential candidate. Republicans in Jefferson County will do this by silent, written ballot.

?A caucus vote is just as secret as a general election vote,? said Frieberg.

The Democrats will cast voice votes or by a show of hands.

? Elect 2 persons from their precinct of their own political party to serve on the County Central Committee.

? Elect delegates and alternate delegates to the Jefferson County convention (each party has its own conventions).

? Propose and vote on platform planks to send on to the county convention.

?Even though we don?t have a contest this election for our presidential candidate, it?s good to get out and caucus, and meet with like-minded folks,? said Susie Drish, chairwoman of the Jefferson County Democratic Party.

?At 7 p.m., first there will be a general address to the whole crowd, then in about 10 minutes, we break into townships and wards for voting. It?s good to have a united front going forward to the general election.?

Drish will count the votes and electronically send the results to the Democratic campaign headquarters in Des Moines. She anticipates the caucus to wrap up by 9 p.m.

?Even without a lot to decide on Tuesday [for Democrats], the caucus is a great time to network,? she added.

At the Republican caucus there will be a lot to decide, with at least seven candidates still campaigning: Michele Bachman, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum.

?To me, the biggest reason to caucus is ? on the Republican side ? voters can bring a plank, a position on an issue, to start a platform to present to the party,? said Marshan Roth, chairwoman of the Jefferson County Republican Party. ?People are encouraged to attend and give a suggestion for a position. It all starts at the neighborhood level.

?This is a very important process and everyone needs to be involved,? said Roth. ?Iowans need to send a message to the nation that we are involved. Show up, and cast a ballot.?

Voters coming to Fairfield High School Tuesday will register and be given a sticker.

?We begin at 7 p.m. as one group,? said Frieberg. ?Each campaign is allowed one representative to speak to the voters on behalf of their candidate. It is a limited, timed address. Then we break into groups by precinct and vote our choice. There is only one round of voting. The votes are counted by the county chair and relayed to the state.?

A volunteer or representative for each candidate also is allowed to observe the ballot counting at the caucus. The results are announced to the voters,

Jefferson County Republicans will have a caucus training session at 7 p.m. today at the First National Bank on the corner of Burlington and Court. The public is welcome to attend.

?We?ll review the [voter] registration process and go through the entire agenda,? said Roth.

Caucus delegates attend county conventions

From Tuesday?s caucuses, Republicans will select 100 delegates from Jefferson County; 45 of those delegates will be residents of Fairfield.

The Democrats select 60 delegates in Jefferson County, said Drish.

Delegates selected Tuesday attend a county convention for Iowa. After the county level convention, there are district and state conventions that narrow the delegates to the final ones who will attend the national conventions. Republicans will send 41 Iowan delegates to its national convention. Democrats will send 56 Iowans to their national convention. More information is available at several websites, including Iowacaucus.biz, which compares the two political party caucuses side-by-side.

Delegates within a party can switch allegiance to another candidate in their own party anywhere along this process. If one candidate doesn?t seem to have enough momentum, delegates can be persuaded to support a leading candidate.

National conventions are held in various cities every four years. The Republican National Convention in this 2012 election cycle will be in Tampa, Fla., Aug. 27-30. A week later, the Democrats will hold their national convention in Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 3-6.

After Iowans vote, New Hampshire?s primary is a week later, Jan. 10. Two more states hold primary votes in January ? South Carolina, Jan. 21 and Florida, Jan. 31.

The following month, seven states vote: Feb. 4, Maine; Feb. 7, Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri; Feb. 28, Arizona and Michigan. Notes from the website 2012presidentialelectionnews.com which lists this voting schedule, say Missouri holds a primary Feb.7, but it will not count for delegates toward the Republican convention. The Missouri Republican Party will hold a caucus on March 17 to elect its delegates.

The state of Washington holds a caucus March 3; then March 6, is known as Super Tuesday because 10 states vote in primaries and caucuses: Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia. Wyoming also begins caucusing March 6 and finishes March 10. The last primary is scheduled on June 26 in Utah.

Iowa has used the caucus process since becoming a state in 1846, according to a media guide to the 2012 Republican Party Iowa Caucuses from the state?s GOP organization.

Iowa?s caucuses first gained prominence in 1972 when the Iowa Democratic Party lengthened the process between caucusing and the national convention, according to information about the Democratic caucuses on the website thecaucuses.com/about. Iowa was positioned ahead of the New Hampshire primary, which traditionally was the kick-off presidential nominating event.

In 1980, the Democratic National Committee wanted to change election rules that scheduled when states could hold caucuses and primary votes. This resulted in the Hun Commission, which gave both Iowa and New Hampshire the ability to hold their nominating events outside of the selection calendar.